Hutch's Happiness
by Rescue45
Summary: Starsky ends up in the hospital and Hutch falls in love with his partners nurse. Does he find true love and happiness? A special thank you goes out to Sandy. Without her help, ideas, editing this would never had been completed. Thank you Sandy.


Hutch's Happiness

Chapter 1

Starsky and Hutch were sitting at Kiko's restaurant. Starsky ordered two burritos with extra onions and jalapenos. Hutch shook his head and said, "Those things are going to be the death of you one day you know."

"Well, I'll die happy then." He smiled as he took a sip of his drink.

Kiko laughed and looked at Hutch who said, "I'll have a beef burrito and a glass of milk." Starsky laughed. He never understood how Hutch could eat such bland foods sometimes. Starsky liked his food to have taste. If chili didn't burn his ears it wasn't hot enough for him.

As they were waiting for their meal, Starsky said, "So, what are we going to do for the next twelve hours?"

Hutch muttered under his breath, "I hope not one of your dumb trivia games."

"What?"

"I didn't say anything."Hutch said raising his eyebrows. He wasn't looking forward to the stake out. Starsky was bound to get bored and that was never a good thing.

About fifteen minutes later, Kiko put the plates in front of them and sat down with them for a couple of minutes. They hadn't seen him for a while and it was nice to catch up on things. The restaurant was doing so well he was about to open another one. Kiko's mother had taught him years ago how to make his own tortillas and he was an excellent cook. He was doing what he really loved and he was happy. Starsky and Hutch had meant a lot to him since he met them as young boy.

After they ate, Hutch said, "We'd better hurry and relieve Johnson and Reynolds on that stake out or they'll give us hell."

"Especially since we were late the last time." Hutch paid the bill and as they were walking to the car, Starsky rubbed his chest. Hutch saw him and said, "You okay?" Starsky nodded and told him he was fine.

"I told you those onions and jalapenos were going to bite you back."

Starsky laughed it off and opened the driver's side of the car and hopped in. They drove to a run-down hotel, pushed the button on the elevator to go up. Starsky was carrying a bag of food and drinks they would need. They knocked on the door. From inside the room they recognized Johnson's voice as he said, "Who is it?"

Starsky said, "It's Me and Thee, here to relieve Holmes and Watson." Hutch rolled his eyes. He had a feeling this was going to be a long stake out.

Inside the room Johnson and Reynolds looked at each other and just laughed. Only Starsky and Hutch would have answered them like that instead of using the pre-assigned code word.

Johnson unlocked and opened the door and said, "Come on in Me and Thee, Homes and Watson are glad to be relieved."

Starsky and Hutch walked in the room. It was a simple looking small room. It had an old TV, a couple of chairs and a single bed. There was a cooler that Johnson and Reynolds had brought that had some cold drinks and some snacks. The room also had a table with a telescope, and next to that was a deck of cards. A small pile of magazines was on a table next to the TV.

Johnson said, "We haven't seen a thing. He's supposed to show up sometime this week, that's all we know."

Starsky said, "Terrific. We'll see you in about twelve hours." This was a special operation and the less people that knew about it, the better. They decided that the two teams would work in twelve hour shifts. If it dragged on too long they would have to bring in another team.

A snitch of Johnson's had told them that the very-much-wanted fugitive, Dale Briggs, would be in town sometime this week. Briggs was wanted for raping and killing at least three women in the past two months. He had some friends in the area so the stake out was being kept a secret.

Johnson and Reynolds left the room and said they would be back at 0600. Starsky locked the door behind them. He rubbed his chest again and took a deep breath. It didn't go unnoticed by Hutch, who looked worried and said, "Hey, are you sure you're okay, pal?"

Starsky said, "Yeah, it's probably just indigestion. Kiko makes a good burrito."

Hutch said, "I'll take first watch." He sat at the table with the telescope and looked through it. Starsky sat on the bed and turned on the TV. He was glad that televisions have more channels than they used to. Back when he first joined the force, there were only three channels on TV. He had a lot of choices now. Hutch was glad for the TV too. He hated it when Starsky got bored on stake outs.

Hutch had been sitting at the table for a couple of hours when he got up to stretch and walk around a bit. He kept his eyes on the window so he could see Dale Briggs arrive. They were watching a hotel parking lot across the street.

Starsky was watching TV when a pain hit him like he had never had before. He doubled over and yelled weakly, "Hutch!"

Hutch turned around to find Starsky ready to fall off the bed. He ran over to him and held him up. Starsky was clutching his chest, sweating and breathing fast. Hutch said, "Starsk, take it easy, pal." He helped Starsky move to the middle of the bed and said, "I'm calling an ambulance and you're not going to argue about it either." Starsky just looked at him. He didn't want to argue. He didn't know what was wrong but he was hurting.

Hutch dialed 9-1-1 on his cell phone and called for an ambulance. He then he called Chief Sterling and let him know what was going on so he could send someone to take over the stake out. His next call was the hardest. He had to call Jeanne. He called her cell phone. When she answered Hutch said, "Jeanne, there's no easy way to say this, but Starsky is having chest pains. I've just called an ambulance to take him to the hospital. They will be here in about five minutes and we'll be at the hospital in about fifteen minutes." Hutch took Starsky's jacket off of him and had him sit up on the bed leaning on the two pillows. He also went into the bathroom and wet a cloth to put on Starsky's face.

Jeanne was shocked. She has had many phone calls about Starsky being hurt over the years, but chest pains? She was shaking as she told Hutch she would meet them at the hospital. The boys were both at her house so she said she would bring them with her.

Kenny and Davey were in Kenny's room working on a new routine Davey wanted to try out for an upcoming tournament. When Jeanne walked in the room, they knew something was wrong. Her voice was shaky as she said, "Kenny, Hutch just called and your dad is on the way to the hospital with chest pains."

Kenny and Davey looked at each other with the same disbelief that Jeanne had. They got up and got their jackets and followed Jeanne out of the house.

When the ambulance crew arrived, they took Starsky's blood pressure, pulse and gave him an IV, four chewable aspirin and a nitroglycerin tablet. A non rebreather oxygen mask was also placed on him. Starsky was feeling better but Hutch could tell he was scared. Hutch was scared too. Starsky's heart had stopped once before years ago as the result of a shooting. He had not had any problems since then.

Hutch watched as they hooked Starsky up to the cardiac monitor. The paramedic told Hutch that his heart rhythm looked normal but they were taking him in just in case. He stood by Starsky as he was lying on the stretcher bent down and said, "Hey, buddy, you're going to be just fine. I called Jeanne and she's going to meet us there." He patted Starsky on the shoulder. Starsky looked at Hutch and reached his hand out. Hutch touched his hand gently and said, "I'll see you there." Starsky nodded. Hutch watched as they loaded his best friend and partner of over 40 years into the ambulance. Then he got in his car and turned on the lights and siren and drove to the hospital.

Hutch arrived at the hospital as they were unloading Starsky who was looking better, but was still in obvious pain. He followed them inside where he was met by Jeanne and the boys.

Starsky was wheeled into the first room and the nurse told him and Jeanne to please wait outside. Jeanne and Hutch knew the routine all too well. No one was allowed inside until the doctor could see him. They knew the medical staff had to have room to work.

Hutch was too worried about Starsky to see where he was walking and when he turned around to go to the dreaded waiting room he bumped into a nurse who was carrying a bunch of papers. He looked her in the eyes and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't watch where I was going." He bent down and helped her pick up the papers. Debbie looked to be a little younger than Hutch, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with dirty blond shoulder length hair. When her bluish-green eyes met his baby blue ones, he instantly thought "I need know more about her." Then he thought of Starsky and said to himself "how can I be thinking about a girl while Starsky may be having a heart attack."

She smiled at him and said, "It's okay. I understand. I saw them bring your friend in." Then she saw Jeanne looking upset. She said, "Jeanne, what is it?"

Jeanne said, "Debbie, they just brought Dave in with chest pains." Hutch was still picking up the paper he made her drop.

Debbie said, "I'm sorry. Is he okay?"

Jeanne said, "I don't know. I can't go in yet. Doctor Mitchell is with him now."

Hutch handed her the papers and said, "Here you go." He smiled at her. She smiled back.

Jeanne said, "Debbie this is Ken Hutchinson, he's Dave's partner. Hutch this is Debbie Williams, a friend and a good nurse."

Hutch shook Debbie's hand and in a soft, low voice said, "It's Hutch, just call me Hutch. It's nice to meet you."

Debbie shook Hutch's hand and said, "It's nice to meet you too, Hutch."

Hutch couldn't explain the feeling he had when he shook her hand but he felt something. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was as if he had an immediate attraction to her. He didn't know why, but he knew he needed to know more about her.

Jeanne saw the look in Hutch's eyes as he spoke to Debbie. She didn't say anything.

Jeanne, Hutch and the boys had been in the waiting room about an hour when Dr. Mitchell came out and told them he had good news. Starsky's heart was fine. He was not having a heart attack as they previously thought. Starsky had an ultrasound which revealed gall stones. One of bigger stones had completely blocked his bile duct. That's what caused his sudden pain. He explained that this could be painful and dangerous, but it was found in time. Starsky needed to have his gall bladder out immediately. Jeanne and Hutch looked at each other and gave a big sigh of relief.

Kenny asked, "So he's not having a heart attack and he's going to be fine?"

Jeanne said, "Yes, your dad is going to have his gall bladder removed but he's going to be just fine. He'll be sore a few days but it's a fairly routine surgery."

Davey said, "Good. I was worried about him."

Hutch said, "I was too. He looked awful earlier."

Jeanne said, "A gall stone attack can be pretty painful and mimic the symptoms of a heart attack."

Hutch looked at Jeanne and told her to go see him and he would wait with the boys. She thanked him.

As she walked into Starsky's room he was lying in the bed with an IV that had some pain medicine attached to it. She bent down and kissed him and asked, "How are you feeling now?"

"I feel much better. I feel like an idiot. I thought I was having a heart attack."

"You had us all worried. Poor Hutch, he looked as bad you did. You really had him worried."

"He's always been a mother hen."

Jeanne looked at the IV. She wanted to know what medicine he was being given. She said, "We'll, I've seen you act like a mother hen to him too. The way I see it, you're about even in that department. I'm glad he had you brought in."

"How is he now? I know he was pretty shook up. How are the boys?"

"The boys and I are just fine. You know Hutch isn't going to be happy until he sees you." She smiled. She fully understood the special bond between her husband and his partner. That bond had saved their lives on many occasions. She didn't question or fight it, she just went with it. She told Starsky that she was going to check on the surgery schedule and see who was going to be the surgeon and when it was going to take place.

"You'd better go get him before he ends up in the bed next to mine." He wanted to see Hutch too. He needed to see that he was okay. He knew Hutch was pretty shook up.

As Jeanne was walking to the waiting room she saw Debbie. Debbie asked her how Starsky was and Jeanne let her know that it was his gall bladder and he would be having surgery soon. Debbie looked relieved and said, "Good. I'm glad it wasn't his heart." She looked at Jeanne and started to ask something but didn't.

Jeanne knew what she wanted to know and she smiled at Debbie and said, "Hutch is a widower. He has a son, Davey who is almost 16."

Debbie looked a little embarrassed and said, "It showed, huh?"

Jeanne said, "It showed, but I'm the only one who saw it." She didn't want to let on that she saw it in Hutch's eyes too. Debbie smiled as she walked away.

Jeanne joined the others in the waiting room. Hutch stood up and Jeanne said, "You can see him now, Hutch."

Hutch nodded and smiled. He turned and looked at the boys and said, "The two of you can see him in a couple of minutes." They nodded.

Hutch opened the door to Starsky's room and saw his partner sitting up smiling at him. Hutch gave sigh of relief and said, "Well you sure know how to scare the hell out of me, I'll give you that. Not to mention getting us out of one long boring stake out. That I thank you for."

"I hate long stake outs anyway. I like keeping you on your toes." He smiled at Hutch.

Hutch sat in the chair beside his bed and said, "Jeanne's going to check and find out when your surgery is, but don't worry you're going to be alright. How are you feeling now?"

Starsky looked at his IV pump and said, "Pain meds, I'm feeling fine. I'm hungry and they won't let me eat. You don't suppose—"  
Hutch gave him one of his absolutely not looks and said, "No way, Starsk. I'm not sneaking you in anything. You can't eat before your surgery."

Debbie walked in the room to check on Starsky's IV. She glanced at Hutch and he smiled at her. She smiled back. She said, "Mr. Starsky, can I get you anything? I know you can't eat or drink anything, but you can have some ice chips." She glanced at Hutch and said, "Hi, Hutch."

"Hi, Debbie. You're assigned to my partner here?" He sounded happy as he said that.

"Huh, yeah. He'll be my patient until the end of my shift."

"We'll, it looks like I'm going to be here for awhile. I'd like to buy you a cup of coffee to make up for earlier."

"I get a break in about an hour." Hutch smiled at her and she smiled back.

Starsky said, "Hey, what about me? You know, the patient?"

Debbie looked embarrassed and said, "I'm sorry. Did you want the ice chips?"

He looked at Debbie and said, "Ice chips would be great, thanks." As soon as she left the room, Starsky smiled and winked at Hutch. He said, "So, you like my nurse."

Hutch nervously said, "I accidently knocked her down earlier and want to make it up to her." He knew that Starsky would see right through that. He did like his nurse.

Starsky said, "Its okay, you know." Starsky cringed from the pain. Hutch never did like seeing his partner in pain.

Debbie came back with the cup of ice chips and Hutch held out his hand and she handed him the cup. He spoke in a soft, caring voice as he said, "Here you go, buddy. Take it easy." He held the cup so Starsky could get some of the ice chips.

Debbie watched and thought how gentle Hutch was with his partner. Jeanne had often talked about her husband and what she called a "special bond" he had with his partner. She was beginning to understand what Jeanne meant.

Debbie said, "Mr. Starsky, there's a button on the pump that will give you more pain medication when you need it." She showed him which button he could push. She also explained that it could be pushed every ten minutes. Starsky was reaching for the button but Hutch pushed it for him, then he put his hand on Starsky's shoulder and said, "I got it, pal. That should make you feel better."

Starsky looked at Hutch and said, "Thanks."

Debbie said, "If either you need anything, please let me know. I'll be back in a little while to check you."

Hutch said, "Are we still on for coffee?" He sat back down in the chair beside Starsky's bed.

"Sure. Where can I find you when I go on break?"

Starsky said, "Right here, where else would he be?" He smiled her. Hutch nodded.

As soon as she had her back turned to Hutch she was smiling. Starsky looked at Hutch and said, "I repeat, you like my nurse, huh?"

"Let's just say I'm looking forward to my next cup of coffee."

Jeanne walked in with the boys and they asked how he felt. He said that he was feeling better. Jeanne said the surgery was scheduled for 0600. It was getting late now and Starsky said, "Look, I'll be fine. You four need to go home and get some rest. That goes for you too, buddy." He looked at Hutch. He knew he'd hate leaving him in the hospital.

Hutch said, "We'll, maybe I'll just stay a little while."

Jeanne looked at the boys and said, "Guys, this is a common surgery and should only take a couple of hours. There's really no need for the two you to be here that early. Davey can stay with us and you two can stay home in the morning and sleep. You can come over later in the afternoon."

Kenny said, "Are you sure you're going to be okay, Dad?"

"I'll be fine, kiddo. I won't be awake for a few hours after surgery anyway." Jeanne kissed Starsky good bye and reassured him that she would see him in the morning before his surgery.

Chapter 2

Hutch had been sitting in the chair next to Starsky's bed and he needed to stretch his legs. He stood up, stretched and yawned. Starsky asked him, "So when's this cup of coffee coming?"

Hutch looked somewhat embarrassed and said, "Anytime now." He looked around and said, "It's not that big a deal you know. It's just coffee."

Starsky knew better than that. He knew Hutch liked her. He was glad to see Hutch interested in someone again. Debbie walked into the room and asked, "Mr. Starsky, is there anything I can get you?" Hutch turned to face her and smiled.

"No. I'm fine thank you. Please just call me Starsky."

She looked at Hutch and said, "If you still want that coffee, I have a fifteen minute break now."

"I'd love to." He looked at Starsky and said, "I'll be back in a few." Starsky nodded and winked again at Hutch.

As Hutch and Debbie were sitting down, he pulled the chair out for her. She thought that was nice. It's been a long time since she's seen a man do that. Her first impression was that here is a gentleman, a real gentleman. They sat down and each took a sip of their coffee. Debbie asked, "You're a police officer, huh?"

He nodded and said, "I've been one for over 40 years, with Starsky as my partner."

"You two must be very close friends to have lasted that long."

"That would be an understatement." He took a sip of his coffee and smiled at her. "Have you been working in the E.R. long?"

"I've been a nurse for a little over 41 years and I've worked in just about every department. I started working in the E.R. about 2 months ago. I love it."

"As many times as Starsky and I have been in the hospital, how come I haven't seen you before?"

"I just moved here from San Francisco a couple of months ago. I started off at this hospital working in the ER."

"That explains it. It's been a little longer than that since either of has been in here."

"You spend a lot of time in the hospital?"

"Between the two of us, I think the department bought the whole west wing." They both laughed.

"Is that how Starsky met Jeanne?"

"Yeah. It was years ago. We were both hospitalized after a bad wreck."

"You and your partner have been through a lot, huh?"

"You have no idea." He said smiling as he remembered some of the things they'd gone through.

"What are you remembering?"

"What?"

"That look you just had. You were remembering something funny."

"Oh. I was just remembering a stake out we were on once. Starsky gets bored easily on stake outs. He wanted to show me some magic card trick he learned, only he messed it up and the cards went flying everywhere. It was funny."

Hutch and Debbie found it easy to talk to each other. They stayed and talked for well past her fifteen minute break. She looked at her watch and said, "I'm late getting back. I'm sorry, I have to leave."

Hutch stood up when she did and said, "I'd like to see you again, sometime when we have longer."

She smiled sweetly and said, "I'd like that too. I've been assigned to your partner all night along with five others. I'll be here in the morning if you come before his surgery." Hutch asked her for her phone number and she wrote it down for him. He stated that he would be there for Starsky's surgery. They walked together as far as Starsky's room, but she had to check on another patient first. He gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and said that he would see her in the morning. As he went to go into Starsky's room she said, "Let me know if he needs anything. I'll be in to check on him in about five minutes."

"I will." He turned to go into Starsky's room. He couldn't help but smile. She was also smiling as she went into her patient's room.

Starsky noticed the smile on his partner's face and said, "Nice cup of coffee, huh?"

"You could say that."

"I'm glad. It's about time, Hutch." Starsky really meant that and Hutch knew it.

Hutch was always nervous when he met someone he thought he might really be interested in. He had good reason to be, he'd lost a lot of girlfriends over the years. Most of them left him because they couldn't handle his job. It's not everyone who can take the stress of being married to a cop. Jeanne and Jennifer were the exceptions.

Hutch pushed the pain button on the machine for Starsky and said, "I really should go now. I'll be here in the morning before your surgery, I promise."  
"Did you get her number?" Starsky said grinning like a little kid. Hutch loved the little kid side of his partner. "If not, I can get it when she comes in to check on me."

Hutch didn't say anything, but held up a piece of paper with a phone number on it as he walked out. When his back was turned he mumbled, "I may be old, buddy, but I'm not dead." He folded the number carefully and smiled as he put it back in his pocket.

Hutch didn't sleep well that night. He never slept well with his partner in the hospital, but this time was different. He didn't have just Starsky on his mind, but was thinking about Debbie too. Hutch arrived at 0500 to see Starsky before his surgery. He also wanted to ask Debbie on a date.

He slowly walked into Starsky's room. He didn't want to wake him if he was sleeping. Debbie was there hooking up another bag of normal saline. He whispered, "How's our patient?"

She turned around and smiled, "He's been fine. I've made sure he's been as pain free as possible."

Starsky opened his eyes and said, "And he thanks you for that."

Hutch smiled at his partner and said, "How you doin', buddy?"

"Like the lady said, she's kept me pain free. Hey, why are you here so early anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep very well."

"You never do when I'm in the hospital."

Debbie said, "Starsky, I need to check in on my other patients. My shift will be over before you're out of surgery but I will see you the day after tomorrow."

"I'll look forward to it." Starsky smiled at her and added, "Thank you. You've been a great nurse." She turned and walked out of the room.

Hutch looked at Starsky and stuttered, "Huh, huh, I'll be right back, Starsk." He ran out of the room. He saw Debbie just about to enter another room and he called her. She stopped and turned around.

"I'm glad I caught you. I'd like to ask you something."

"Sure, what is it?" He gently guided her arm to a quiet place around the corner. "I was wondering. Will, huh." He took a deep breath and said, "Will you go out with me?"

"I'd like that. Yes, I'd love to. When did you have in mind?"

Hutch thought a minute and said, "We'll, I'm off today and you're off in a few minutes. What about tonight? I can pick you up about 2000 hours? Oh, sorry, I'm so used to military time; have to use it at work. I mean 8 o'clock."

"It's okay. I have use military time too. I prefer it actually. That'll be a good time. Call me later and I'll give you the address." He started to turn and walk back to Starsky's room when she added, "Hey, your partner is going to be just fine." He smiled at her and said, "Thank you."

Starsky was sitting up and looking better. Hutch sat in the chair beside his bed. Starsky just stared at Hutch. Hutch didn't say anything at first but Starsky kept staring at him. Finally Hutch said, "Tonight, okay? We're going out tonight, so don't have any complications during your surgery and mess it up." He pointed his finger at Starsky.

Starsky smiled and said, "Okay, you got it."

"Starsk, do you think…"

"Hutch, the answer is yes. I know you loved Jennifer, but it's time. It's past time. Debbie's nice."

"It's just one date, Starsk."

"She's very nice. I hope you have a good time. I mean that."

"I know you do and I appreciate that."

Jeanne came in, saw Hutch and said, "I can't believe you got here before I did. Well I should have known." She looked at Starsky and said, "Hi, honey, how are you?"

"I'm fine, dear. They should be taking me up soon. Debbie's a great nurse and kept me pain free all night." He winked at Hutch as Jeanne bent down to give him a kiss. Hutch looked embarrassed. A few minutes later, an orderly arrive and Starsky was taken to the operating room.

Hutch handed Jeanne a cup of coffee as he sat down next to her. She thanked him. They sat there for a few minutes, neither one saying anything. Finally, out of the blue, Hutch blurted out, "I'm going on a date with Debbie."

Jeanne about choked on the sip of coffee she had just taken. She said, "Hutch, I'm glad."

"I wasn't sure you would be."

She was surprised by that and said, "I loved Jennifer with all my heart. She was my twin, not a day goes by that I don't think about her. I miss her, Hutch, God knows I miss her." She was tearing up now.

"Jeanne…"

She wouldn't let him talk, she waved her hand for him not to say anything else and said, "No, let me finish. She loved you and Davey so much, Hutch. You two were her life. We talked a lot before she died, so I know she told you to move on and find someone else." She took a sip of her coffee and continued, "She didn't mean for you to find someone in a week or so, but it's been long enough. I know this is just one date but if it turns into something more, she'd be happy."

He took a sip of his coffee. "I wanted you to know."

She put her hand on his, nodded her head and said, "I approve and she certainly would approve."

"I guess I needed to hear that, even if it is just one date."

"Don't feel like you're cheating on her. It's been long enough."

He sighed. He really did want to hear that it was okay with Jeanne if he went on a date. He knew he didn't need her approval, it just made it easier. He wanted her to say that Jennifer would approve also.

"I'd like to you to know that you've meant so much to me and Davey. Jennifer meant the world to me too. I really loved her, more than I thought I could ever love anyone. After Jennifer died you helped me so much, especially with Davey. He was so young. You have always been there for both of us."

"It's always been my pleasure to help you with him, you know that."

"I would have had to quit the force if it hadn't been for you. I don't think I tell you enough how much I appreciate you and everything you do for us. You never hesitate when I need you to help with him. All the long nights, stake outs, odd hours, and keeping him at your place whenever needed. Not to mention the whole three months I was kidnapped."

She wiped away her tears and said, "Hutch, I loved my sister and promised her that I would take care of you both. He's a great kid and he reminds me so much of Jennifer. Helping you with him helps me get through the loss. He's growing into such a fine young man. She would be so proud of both the boys, really. The two of them are so much like you and Dave."

"I just wanted to tell you that I appreciated you and everything. Starsky, well, he's another subject altogether. You have always understood our relationship."

"Do you remember the first time Jennifer saw you?"

"Well, I was waking up after being unconscious from a wreck we were in."

"Jennifer said that your first words were "Where's my partner?" You had a broken arm and one bad concussion and your first concern was for him. When Dave was lying in the bed before he even woke up, he was mumbling and asking about you. Jennifer and I knew then, that you two were not just partners. We knew you were best friends."

"We fell in love with the two of you when we went on that double date. Neither of us knew you were twins."

Jeanne laughed as she remembered she said, "We knew you two were partners. We knew the two of you didn't know we were twins. It was Jennifer's idea, to go into the restaurant separately on that first date. She always had a good since of humor. The look on your faces when she walked in and Dave tried to introduce her to you..." She stopped talking and they both started laughing.

"That was funny. I think Starsky and I fell in love with you both right then and there. There was just something about the two of you. We knew you were right for us."

Jeanne smiled as she was remembering that first date. "Right from the start, it just felt right, the two of us dating the two of you."

Jeanne and Hutch talked a while about the first year the four of them knew each other. It brought back a lot of fond memories for both of them. They chatted about having a double wedding but separate honeymoons. They reminisced about the first time Starsky was shot after they had started dating. They didn't know who was more worried, Jeanne or Hutch. They decided that it was Hutch. Jeanne was a nurse, after all, and knew the injury wasn't serious. Hutch on the other hand, always worries about his partner. Jeanne reminded him that Starsky is like a mother hen when it comes to him too. Jeanne handled the situation well and when Hutch was hurt Jennifer was right beside him, with Starsky on the other side.

Jeanne said, "You know the day I found out we were having a boy, the first thing Dave said was that he had to be named Kenneth and we would call him Kenny."

"I remember the day after you told him you were expecting, he picked me up for work with tears in his eyes. I knew they were happy tears. He was so happy. We both were. Then four months later Jennifer told me it was our turn. We didn't think twice about naming him David."

"The four of us sure had some good times didn't, we, Hutch?"

He nodded and said, "That we did. The five us still do."

"Have a good time on your date."

"Thanks."

"I've known Debbie since she moved here four months ago. She's a great nurse and a good person. I should've introduced her to you months ago."

Hutch stood up and started pacing. It was nice talking to Jeanne like this, but he was worried about Starsky.

"Hutch, it will be about another hour." He sat back down next to her. They decided to go to the cafeteria. They both needed to eat. While they were eating breakfast they talked some more. They had a good time talking while waiting for Starsky to get out of surgery and wake up.

Finally, Starsky's surgery was over, the doctor came into the waiting room and said that everything turned out just fine. He let them go in to see Starsky but only for a few minutes. Starsky would need to stay in the hospital two days, and then he could go home.

Hutch stood on one side of Starsky's bed and Jeanne stood on the other side as he slowly opened his eyes. Starsky looked at both of them and said, "I hope I look better than you do, Hutch. You look awful." His eyes turned towards Jeanne and he smiled at her and said, "You on the other hand, are as gorgeous as ever."

Hutch leaned closer to Starsky and said, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm a little sore, but I'll be fine in a couple of days. Who did Sterling put on the stake out?  
Jeanne said, "Hey, no shop talk just yet, okay?"

"Let's just say it's been taken care of. Don't worry that pretty little head of yours about it."

"Hutch, I'm gonna be put on light duty for about six weeks, again."

"I know. Sterling's going to put me with someone else until I get you back."

"I hate that. I don't like you being partnered with anyone else. You…"

Jeanne cut him off saying, "I said no shop talk. You two may be in charge on the streets, but this is the hospital and I'm in charge here." Her voice was firm, but in a loving way.

Starsky laughed that half smile laugh of his and said, "Yes, dear."

Hutch put his head down and said,"I just got one thing to say about it then I'll be quiet I promise." He held up three fingers and gave her his best pitiful, I have to get this off my chest, face.

"That pitiful look of yours is too hard to resist, one last thing then that's all I want to hear about work."

He smiled proudly at Starsky and said, "I'll be with Seth and Thompson for a couple of weeks then I'll be with Austin and Martin."

Starsky smiled and said, "They made it? They passed?" Hutch nodded.

Jeanne said, "They passed what? Made what? Once in a while it would be nice to be in on a whole conversation with you two." She laughed, and then Starsky and Hutch both laughed too. They don't realize just how many times they leave out half a conversation.

Hutch said, "They passed their test and the interviews. They are now Detectives First Class. All four of them passed."

Starsky said, "And as First Class Detectives they need to be with a Third Class Detective for their first assignment. We had planned for me to work with Austin and Martin and Hutch to be with Seth and Thompson, for their first assignment. Since I'm going to be on light duty for so long, Hutch gets to be with them for their first assignments."

"I got a call last night from Austin who told me the good news. They're going to stop by later to see you. Don't tell them I'm their shadow okay?"

"It'll be our secret."

Jeanne said, "Okay, that was your one thing. No more shop talk. Next thing you know, he'll want to know what you're going to be working on."

"I do want to know."

Jeanne gave them both a stern look and said, "You just got out of surgery and need to rest. Shop talk can wait until tomorrow."

Starsky knew when he was beaten, he looked at Jeanne and said, "You're right, I'm pretty tired. Can hardly keep my eyes open."

Jeanne kissed him and said,"I'll be back later with the boys." She looked at Hutch, she knew he was going to stay a while longer, and said, "No shop talk."

"I promise no shop talk." He held up the Boy Scout fingers again.

After she left Starsky winked at Hutch and said, "So how'd it go this morning?"

Hutch couldn't help but smile at the thought of his conversation with Debbie earlier. Smiling he said, "Jeanne and I had a nice chat while you were in surgery."

"That's not what I mean. Come on; tell how it went with Debbie."

"Oh, her. Yeah, that was good too."

"Huuuutch."

"We had a nice talk and I'm seeing her tonight. Remember I told you that earlier."

"I forgot about your date. Pain meds are working great." He waited a couple of minutes and said, "Hutch, I'm going to be fine. Go home, get some sleep. You need to look your best for your lady."

"I should get some rest. I'll check on you later. Call me if you need anything, though."

Starsky held up the Boy Scout three fingers and said, "Scouts honor. Now, quit being a mother hen and get some rest."

Hutch called Jeanne to check on Davey and make sure she was alright with keeping him the day. She said that of course he was fine with her and she would be taking both boys to see Starsky in a little while. Hutch thanked her. He went back to his place. He was really tired and did need to rest a little before his date. He took off his shirt and shoes and flopped on his bed and fell to sleep instantly.

Chapter 3

After visiting Starsky in the afternoon, Hutch brought Davey home with him. Davey knew all about his dad's date with Debbie, the nurse. He was glad his dad was going out. He stood in the doorway of his dad's room as Hutch was trying to figure out what to wear. He decided he would wear a pair of khaki pants. He held up a shirt and looked at it in the mirror. Davey snickered and said, "Dad, you're not going to wear that shirt are you?"

Hutch looked at the shirt, his son, then shook his head and said, "Apparently not," as he threw it onto the mounting pile of shirts he'd already disregarded for tonight's attire.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm taking her to dinner at Stevens"

"Stevens, huh? Not a bad choice for a first date. Not too high or too low priced."

Hutch looked at Davey with and laughed as he said, "Oh yeah, what do you know about dates?"

"Just what I hear on the streets." He said that trying to sound like a street-wise wise guy.

Hutch held up another shirt and tie. Davey said, "Did you tell her where you're taking her?"

"Nope. I want it to be a surprise."

"What did you tell her to wear?"

"I suggested, not told, she dress casually. Never tell a woman how to do anything. Remember that, it's important."

"I didn't mean it that way."

"I just want you to be a gentleman when you start dating."

"I will be. I have good role models." He changed positions, so now he had his legs crossed leaning in the doorway. "Dad, if you "suggested" that she dress casually, then I "suggest" you ditch the tie." He held up his hands to make quotation marks around the words "suggested" and "suggest."

Hutch laughed, "You're right. How'd you get to be so smart?"

"I told you, I have good role models, you and Uncle Dave."

Hutch and Davey decided Hutch would wear a nice long-sleeved blue shirt. He likes wearing blue because it brings out the blue in his eyes.

As she was getting dressed, Debbie too, tried on many outfits. Her best friend Sandy was with her. She had known Sandy for many years. They met at a hospital they worked in before Debbie moved to San Francisco. "He suggested I dress casually. What am I supposed to wear?"

"He didn't tell you where he's taking you?"

"No. He wants it to be a surprise; it's a restaurant, though."

"Well, you can wear that nice new pant suit you just bought last week."

"The green one?"

"It matches your eyes. It looks good on you. It's dressy, without being too dressy."

Debbie put on the pant suit. The pants were a pretty light green with a matching light-green jacket that matched. It came with a slightly darker green long-sleeved shirt. Sandy helped Debbie fix her hair.

Sandy said, "It's about time you go out again."

"I know." She paused then added, "It's hard, you know. After losing Stan I never thought I could."

"It's been three years now. It's time to have fun again. Did you tell, what's his name again?"

"Hutch, Ken"

"Hutch? That's a strange name."

"It's Kenneth Hutchinson. He goes by an abbreviation of his last name."

"Oh, and he's a cop."

"Yes, Sandy, he's a cop. I will tell him about Stan tonight." Sandy finished Debbie's hair and they moved onto her makeup. Just as Debbie was in the bathroom putting on lipstick, there was a knock on the door.

Hutch was nervous and excited as he walked up to Debbie's apartment. He was holding a bouquet of yellow roses. He thought for a first date, red roses would be too much. She lived in a nice apartment complex. He noticed the swimming pool as he walked by, there were a lot plants around too. Hutch liked plants, he always did. He has a bunch of them at his house. Debbie lived on the first floor in number 13. Hutch smiled as he thought of how some people thought of that as being unlucky. If things worked out between them, it would be his new favorite number. After taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. It was Sandy who opened the door. It didn't surprise Hutch that another woman was there. He pulled out one of the yellow roses and handed it to Sandy as he said, "This is for you." He gave her a big smile.

She smiled back and said, "I'm Sandy, and you must be Hutch."

"I am." He kissed her hand.

Sandy was at a loss for words. It's been a long time since she'd seen a man act like a real gentleman. She said, "Debbie will be out in a minute."

"Thank you." Hutch stood there nervously.

Debbie walked out of the bathroom and Hutch smiled. She smiled back at him. She said, "Hutch, this is Sandy, my best friend. Sandy this is Hutch."

Sandy said, "We introduced ourselves."

"Oh, Debbie, these are for you." He handed her the roses. Debbie handed them to Sandy and asked her to put them in a vase for her. Sandy said she'd be happy to. She wished them a good evening as they walked out the door and watched from the window as Hutch opened the car door for Debbie.

As they were eating they were laughing and appeared to be having a good time. Hutch wanted Debbie to know right from the start that his job was dangerous and that most women couldn't handle it. He said, "You know I'm a cop and before…"

She stopped him and said, "Hutch, I lost my husband three years ago in the line of duty. He was a firefighter. He died saving two kids from a burning building. I know all about the dangers of the job." She took a sip of her wine.

"I had no idea."

"What about your wife, as long as were on the subject?"

"Jennifer died from cancer. She put up a long hard fight, for over a year. It was a long time ago. My son, Davey, was only four."

"Jennifer, Jeanne's twin, was your wife? She never told me that."

"I think she wanted me to tell you. Let's see, how do I put this?"

"She didn't want me to feel bad about going out with her brother-in-law. Maybe she thought I would have second thoughts about seeing you."

"Well said."

"Jeanne was one of the first people I met when I moved here. She has always been so nice and helpful."

"She's been great to me and Davey too." He put some butter on his roll and said, "There's some things I'd like to you know right from the start. I like you, and I want to be honest and upfront with you."

"I want you to be. If you're going to warn me about the dangers of the job, the long hours, being called into work on your days off, believe me I know all about it. I loved Stan with all my heart. Sure, I worried about him every day, but he loved what he did. I respected that, and I guess I loved him partly because of that dedication."

"I guess firefighters aren't much different than cops in that department, huh?"

"Probably not."

They continued their conversation well past dessert. They really enjoyed each other's company. After dinner they decided to take a walk on the beach. They were both walking barefoot on the sand holding hands. Hutch laughed as he said,"That set off the sprinkler system on the whole floor."

"Did they kick you out?" She was laughing as she pictured the sprinkler system going off because Huggy hung a lantern on it.

"They tried, but when it comes to my partner, no one gets in the way. They gave up on kicking me out after I snuck in a third time that night." They had to move him into another room so they let me stay in the empty bed next to his. "

"You were pretty worried about him, huh?"

"I knew all that water wasn't good for him. He was in a lot of pain after they had to change his bandages. He feels better if I'm around when he's hurting."

"I know you said you've been partners for over 40 years, but you really are very close, aren't you?"

"Very. Like I said, there is nothing that will ever come between me and Starsky. I'd have died years ago if it wasn't for him."

"I bet that goes both ways. You know last night after you left, he was worried about you. He said he knew you wouldn't sleep well and would be there first thing this morning."

"That sounds like him. Starsky and I are very close. I trust him with my life and he knows I would die for him without thinking twice."

"I can understand that. When Stan died, the other men in his company tried to save him. They would have died for him too, if they could have gotten to him."

"I'm glad you understand." They walked on the beach talking well into the evening. He took her home. He opened the door for her to get out of the car and walked her to the door. They smiled at each other and he said, "I'd like to see you again."

"If trouble finds you and your partner as much as you told me about tonight, I think we'll see a lot of each other."

He smiled and slowly said in his deep caring voice, "That's not exactly what I meant."

"I'd like to see you out of my work setting too."

"I will call you."

"I hope you do." With that he gently hugged and kissed her goodnight. As she walked inside her apartment, she smiled. She really had a good time and thought Hutch seemed like such a nice man. She got ready for bed and saw a picture of Stan on the nightstand. She picked it up and said, "I loved you with all my heart, Stan, you know I did. It's time I move forward. I know that's what you want me to do. We talked about it I don't know how many times. You will always be in my heart." She put on her pajamas and got under the covers.

When Hutch arrived at his house he noticed the living room light was still on. He unlocked the door and said, "You still awake?"

Davey had been lying on the couch, sat up and said,"Just wondering how your date went?"

Hutch couldn't help but have a warm smile on his face. He took a deep breath and said, "It was okay."

"Just okay?" Davey chuckled and added, "I'll bet."

"Go to bed."

"I'm glad you had a good time, Dad. I really am."

"Thanks."

Chapter 4

The next morning Hutch was fixing breakfast as Davey came into the kitchen. Davey said, "What's on the agenda for today, Dad?"

"First, we're going to check on Starsky, and then I have to go to the station." He flipped the pancakes he was making. He said, "I got good news."

"Good news, that's a switch."

Hutch rolled his eyes at his son, "Seth, Austin and their partners all passed their exams. They are all Detectives First Class."

Davey smiled, "That is good news. Who gets to go on the first assignment with them?"

"The three of us."

"The three of us? What?"

"Yeah, me, myself and I. I'll spend a couple of weeks with Seth and Thompson first then a couple of weeks with Austin and Martin. Starsky's going to be out for a couple of weeks then on light duty for a few more weeks after that."

"At least you're not being partnered with just anyone. Uncle Dave hates it when you get another partner. You usually end up hurt yourself."

Hutch handed Davey his pancakes and the bottle of syrup. Davey thanked his dad.

"After we see Starsky, I can bring you back home or you can stay with Kenny. I think Jeanne is going to spend most of the day with Starsky."

"Dad, is it okay if Kenny and I meet the others at the park?"

"If it's okay with Jeanne, sure. Make sure you take your phone and call me if you need too." Davey nodded.

Jeanne and Kenny were already in Starsky's room when Hutch and Davey arrived. Hutch was relieved to see that he appeared to be feeling better. He said that he'd had plenty of visitors this morning. Starsky sat up a little and smiled at Hutch. He didn't say anything, but Hutch knew what his partner was thinking. Hutch just smiled back and didn't say a word.

It was Kenny who finally asked the question everyone wanted to know, "So, Uncle Ken, how was your date?"

"I wondered which one of you four was going to ask first." He smiled. There was a long silence.

Davey said, "It must have gone pretty good, 'cause he didn't get home till 0300."

"Thank you, time keeper." He cut his eyes at Davey and everyone laughed. Starsky gave Hutch an approving wink.

Davey asked, "So when are you going to see her again?"

"I'm not sure. Today I have to meet with Seth and Thompson."

Jeanne said, "Kenny asked if they could go to the park to meet with the others. If you'd like, Davey can just come to our place afterwards until you get home, or he can stay the night."

"Thanks, Jeanne. I told him this morning he could do what he wants today. I don't have any idea what time I'll be home, so it may be a good idea if he stays with you. If that's okay with you, Son."

Davey said, "Its fine with me."

Hutch said, "Starsk, I'm glad you're feeling better. I gotta get out of here and met Seth now. Son, I'll see you tomorrow."

Starsky said, "Not so fast, partner."

"What?" Hutch said turning back around. Starsky smiled. "I'll call her later. Yes, we're going out again. You people are nosey." He laughed as he left the room.

At the station Captain Glass was talking to Seth and Thompson. He was congratulating them on becoming Detectives First Class. He was explaining to them that for their first assignment they would have a Third Class Detective shadowing them.

Seth said, "Who's it going to be?"

Austin said, "I hope it's someone we know."

"You'll have to trust me. It's someone you both will approve of."

Seth said, "What's our first assignment?"

"You will both have to wait until your shadow gets here. He's late."

Just then Hutch opened the Captain's door and said, "Sorry I'm late Captain."

Seth stood up and said, "We get Hutch?"

Hutch smiled and said, "Yep. You get Hutch." He shook their hands and congratulated them.

Captain Glass said, "Hutchinson, you're late."

"Sorry about that Captain. I had to see Starsky."

Captain Glass said, "I should've known. How is he anyway?"

"He's much better. He can go home tomorrow."

The Captain said, "That's great. I saw him yesterday and he looked a little rough."

Thompson said, "We saw him too. Glad he's better."

Captain Glass said, "Okay, enough with the chit chat."

Seth said, "Sorry, sir."

Captain Glass said, "You've been assigned to the Dale Briggs case. He's wanted for rape and murder of at least three women in the past two months. We got word that he's going to be in town sometime this week. We have men watching the hotel, but we need you two on the streets to see if you can find him before he strikes again." He looked at Hutch and asked, "Do you think they're up to it?"

"They have to start somewhere. This is as good a case as any. I think they'll do fine. I know some of their contacts and I know they can do it."

Captain Glass filled the detectives in on the case. They discussed where they would start and it was explained that although Hutch would be with them, it was their case and they were to take the lead. Once they had all the information they needed from Captain Glass, they hit the streets. Seth and Thompson had been on the streets a couple of years and they had their own contacts and spent most of the day talking to them. They were confident that one of them would come up with something. They ended their shift at The Pits. Hutch filled Huggy in on Starsky's condition.

Hutch checked on Starsky one last time before heading home. He finally made it home at about 2100 hours. He was tired, it had been a long couple of days. He took a shower and called Debbie.

Debbie didn't know if Hutch was going to be able to call her today, but she was hoping he would. She had a great time with him and was hoping that he did too. She thought, "He said he had a nice time and would call, but you never really know until you get that call." The phone rang, her heart jumped. She answered it.

"Hi. I hope it's not too late to call."

"No, it's fine. I'm glad you did."

They chatted over an hour about everything and nothing. Just like a couple of teenagers. Both of them felt so relaxed talking to each other.

Hutch said, "I have to work tomorrow, but should be off the day after. I'd like to see you."

"I'm off the same day."

"How would you like it if I picked you up at 1100 and we spend the whole day together?"

"That would be great."

"What would you like to do?"

"I don't know, Hutch. Can you give me some time to think about it?"

"Sure. I'll try to call you tomorrow. I might not be able to depending on how this case goes I'm working on."

"I understand."

He smiled to himself. He was really starting to like Debbie, even though they just met. He said, "Hey, If you don't hear from me tomorrow don't read anything into it. I really am on a difficult case and may not be able to call."

She said that she understood, but was hoping he would call. At least she knew now that he wanted to call. If he couldn't, she would understand. They hung up and as they did, they each smiled.

The next morning, Hutch called Starsky before going into work and was relieved to hear that he was doing better. Hutch knew Starsky was going to be really bored at home until he could get back to work. He felt sorry for Jeanne. A bored Starsky is not a good thing. He chuckled as he thought of that. Seth and Thompson pulled up and Hutch got in the car with them. They decided that they would be checking in with Starsky since he was going to be home in a couple of hours. They were supposed to check in a couple of times a day at a prearranged time. If they were later than thirty minutes checking in Starsky was to alert Captain Glass. Starsky wanted something to do, and he wanted to keep an eye on Hutch. He didn't like it when Hutch was working a case without him.

Seth and Thompson had some leads they were going to follow up on, but first they we're going to check in with Johnson and Reynolds. They were still at the hotel staking it out. They reported they had nothing new on the case. Their contact had not heard from Briggs.

Hutch called Starsky and checked in with him about 1500 hours and said they didn't have any news, but told him they were still working on a couple of leads. Davey wanted to stay the night again and since school was out for the summer Hutch didn't mind and said he would bring dinner over about 2000 hours.

Hutch showed up with dinner at 2000 hours as planned. He watched as Davey showed him the new karate routine he'd been working on for the competition next month. He thought Davey's new routine was really good. Starsky asked about Debbie and Hutch let him know that he would was going to pick her up at 1100 hours and spend the day with her. Because he was working a case, he still needed to check in with Starsky. It was decided that he would call about 1500 hours the next day.

Hutch called Debbie that night when he got home and they talked a couple of hours. Debbie said she would really like to go for a walk on the beach. Hutch said he would pick her up at 1100 hours and they would go out for lunch, a long walk on the beach and just take things from there. They hung up. Hutch fell asleep quickly.

Chapter 5

Early in the morning, Seth was awakened by someone pointing a gun at his head. The man was about 6 feet tall, white, appeared to be about 210 pounds and was wearing a stocking mask. He told Seth that they would kill his partners if he didn't do as he was told. Seth asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Get up and get dressed for starters."

Seth got up and put on his blue jeans along with a t' shirt. He looked at the clock and noticed it was 0700. As he was putting on his shoes he asked, "How do I know you have my partners? I want to talk to them." He knew since the man said partners, in the pleural, he probably had Thompson and Hutch.

"You're in no position to ask for anything. Trust me, we got them both."

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?"

"You'll find out later." The man grabbed Seth's handcuffs off of his dresser and used them to handcuff Seth.

As Seth was being abducted, the same thing was happening to Thompson and Hutch. Each was told their partners would be killed if they didn't cooperate. Seth, Thompson and Hutch each knew it was no use in fighting these men.

The three detectives were each blindfolded, handcuffed, and knocked out. Seth was the first to start waking up. He moved his head sided to side and opened his eyes slowly. He noticed that he was handcuffed to a chair but the blindfold had been removed. He looked at his surroundings. He was in a big room with only one small window. It looked like he was in some warehouse. There was only one door that he could see. His head hurt and his vision was still a little blurry. He saw Thompson and Hutch both slumped over in their chairs. He called to them, "Hutch, Thompson wake up. Please wake up." He got no answer from them. He said a little louder, "Hutch! Thompson! Wake up!" He saw Hutch starting to move, he was moaning and so was Thompson. "That's it wake up, come on guys."

Hutch opened his eyes and said, "Yeah, I'm awake. Are you guys okay?"

Thompson said, "Outside of this headache, I'm terrific. Where are we?"

Seth said, "I got a headache too, but other than that I'm peachy."

Hutch said, "No idea." He scooted his chair closer to Seth's and so did Thompson. Once he was close he whispered to Seth, "Can you still get out of the cuffs?"

"Yes. Should I wait or do you think I should get out now?"

Thompson said, "We appear to be alone right now."

Hutch said, "No. Wait, we're being watched. We need to find out who's behind this. Just be ready."

Thompson said,"It's our day off, no one's gonna miss us for quite a while."

Hutch said, "Starsky's expecting a call from me by 1500 hours."

Seth said, "I don't know what time it is now, but it was 0700 when they took me. I saw the clock."

Thompson said, "Yeah me too."

Just then the door opened and three men came in.

Debbie was dressed and waiting for Hutch by 1030. She was looking forward to spending the day with him. She waited, and waited. By 1130 she was getting a little nervous. Hutch didn't seem the type to be late. At noon she was worried. Hutch had told her a lot of things that had happened to him and Starsky in the past. He had mentioned the time he was kidnapped and hooked on heroin in the 70s, being trapped under his car for a couple of days, and being kidnapped a couple of years ago for over 3 months. She called his cell and his house phones with no luck. She decided to call the one person she knew she could trust to take her fears seriously, Starsky. Hutch had given her his phone number in case something ever happened. She knew Hutch trusted him with his life. Even if it turned out to be something simple like his car broke down, she could call Starsky.

Starsky was playing a driving game with Kenny and Davey on the X-Box when the phone rang. Kenny paused the game and said, "I got it, Dad."

He picked up the phone and said, "Yeah, sure he's here, hold on." He took the phone to his dad and said, "It's Debbie."

Starsky looked worried, "Hello, Debbie, this is Starsky."

"I know this sounds silly, but Hutch was supposed to pick me up at 11 and he never showed. I know he's working some case and I'm worried. He's not answering either of his phones."

"Okay. I'll check into it. Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"Are you at your place?"

"Yes."

Starsky didn't know what happened to Hutch, but he didn't want anything to happen to Debbie. If someone had him, they may go after her. He said calmly, "Debbie, I don't know what happened to Hutch, but I'll find out. I don't want to scare you, but do you have someplace safe you can go until you hear from me?"

"My friend, Sandy, is at work. I really don't know that many people."

"Do you know where I live?"

"Yes."

"I want you to get here as soon as you can. Jeanne and the boys will be here. I'm going to find Hutch."

"I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Do you think something's happened to him?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to take any chances. I know that Hutch would not stand you up like this without calling one of us. Please leave now."

Davey and Kenny both heard the conversation. Davey was looking really worried. Kenny had gone into the kitchen and had his Mom come into the living room.

Davey said, "Dad's missing again isn't he?"

"I'm not sure. Let's not jump to any conclusions, okay." Starsky picked up the phone and called both of Hutch's numbers. He didn't think he would answer, but he had to try. Next he tried Seth's phones then Thompson's. No answer from any of them. His next call was to Austin. Austin and Seth lived together and he might know something. Austin told Starsky that he left for work at 0600 and Seth was still asleep. He said he would go to the house and see what he could find out. He told him that Martin was with him. Starsky's next call was to Captain Glass. Jeanne was standing next to Starsky. She heard everything and knew that her husband was going to go look for Hutch no matter how he felt. She had to let him go. He was feeling better and she knew it didn't matter anyway; he was going to look for Hutch and the others. She looked at him and said, "Honey, where do you want me to take the boys."

He was calling Captain Glass and said, "I'm getting a patrol sent here to keep an eye on you here. Debbie will be here too. Just don't leave the house. I think you're safe here. I think this has something to do with the case they're working on."

Captain Glass answered his phone. He was at home. "Captain this is Starsky. We got a problem. Hutch, Seth, and Thompson are all missing."

"It's their day off."  
"I know that Captain, but they're all missing. Hutch missed a date and none of them are answering their phones. I got Austin on the way to his house to check it out. I'm going to Hutch's place."

Captain Glass said, "What do you want me to do?"

"Send a patrol car to my house to keep an eye on Jeanne and the boys. Just to be sure, I don't really think anything will happen here, but I don't want to take to any chances. I think it has to do with the case they're working on. I'd like an APB on Hutch, Seth, and Thompson, and I need someone to check with Johnson, Reynolds and their relief team to make sure they're okay. I'll check in after I go to Hutch's"

Starsky looked at Davey who was standing in front of him in total disbelief that his dad was missing again. Starsky hugged him and said, "I'll find him, Davey. It's not like last time. Seth and Thompson are with him."

"Are you sure?"

"All three of them are missing. They are all working on the same case. I'm pretty sure they're together. I've got to go now, but a patrol car will be here soon." He kissed Jeanne and said, "I know you don't want me to go, but I have to. You know I have to."

She said, "I know you do. Go, bring them home and please be careful."

He put his gun on, grabbed his jacket and ran out of the house.

Debbie had to admit to herself that she was a little scared. She was glad that Starsky didn't blow her off and think she was just acting foolish simply because he was little late. He seemed genuinely concerned about Hutch and her both. She knew then, that Hutch was right about trusting Starsky with his life. She went to the Starskys' as he had asked her to.

As Starsky was on the way to Hutch's, Austin called and told him they found Seth's gun on the dresser but his cuffs were missing. Starsky told them to go to the station; he would meet them there. Starsky went to Hutch's house and found his gun still there in its holster, but his cuffs were also gone. He went to Thompson's next and found his gun but no signs of his handcuffs either. Starsky went to the station. He was determined to find Hutch and the others.

The three men approached Seth, Thompson and Hutch. They were pointing guns at them. Hutch looked at Seth and Thompson with raised eyebrows. He was hoping they would know what he wanted them to do. If not, they were going to be in big trouble. As the men approached, Hutch asked, "What do you want with us?"

One of the men said, "You're too close. It's nothing personal…" Just as he said that, Seth and Thompson both got out of the cuffs and lunged at the men knocking them on the ground. Hutch couldn't get out of his cuffs but he kicked at and tripped the one coming after him. Hutch fell over hitting his head on the cement floor. He was badly dazed. Seth and Thompson were able to get the three men under control and took their guns away. They cuffed two of them to the chairs. As Hutch came around he said his key was in his right shirt pocket. Seth took Hutch's cuffs off him and cuffed the third man with them.

Thompson handed Hutch one of the guns. Hutch held a gun on the three suspects and said, "Check out this place, see where we are."

Thompson and Seth slowly walked over to the door. They looked out and saw another big room. They didn't see anybody. What they did see was an office not far away and a little to the left. They checked it out; no one was there. They found the address on a piece of mail lying on a desk. They appeared to be alone. Seth returned and handed him the piece of mail, "I think this is where we are." Hutch nodded.

Hutch noticed that the men had cell phones. Seth and Thompson took them away. Hutch called Starsky first, it was now 1530 and he knew Starsky would be worried about him. He was hoping that Debbie had called Starsky when he didn't show up for their date.

Starsky walked into Captain Glass' office and was filling him in on what he found at Hutch's and Thompson's place when his phone rang. It was Hutch on the other end.  
"Hutch, are you guys okay? We've been looking for you. Debbie called me when you didn't show up."

"I was hoping she would. I was taken along with Seth and Thompson early this morning. We're at that old warehouse on Commerce Street. We're all okay. We have three in custody right now."  
Starsky said, "Thank God. We'll be right there, buddy."

As Starsky hung up he ran out the door with Austin, Martin, and Captain Glass right behind him.

After he hung from talking to Starsky, Hutch motioned for Seth and Thompson to come close so he could talk to them. He whispered, "None of these guys is Briggs. We need to find out who they are and why they took us."

Seth looked at Thompson and said, "Good cop, bad cop?"

Thompson nodded and said, "You be bad."

Hutch said, "Sounds good, but let's do this one at a time. Let's separate them."

They moved two of the men to the other room. Hutch gagged them and kept an eye on them while Seth and Thompson interrogated the first one. Thompson had read each man his rights before they started asking questions. Hutch could hear what was being said and thought Seth made a pretty good bad cop.

Before Starsky and the others could get there, Seth and Thompson found out that these men, whose names were James Morgan, Spencer Booker, and Steven Brown, had been sent by Dale Briggs.

James Morgan let it out that Briggs was not just raping and killing women, but he was trying to set up a big cocaine deal and the three of them were getting too close. He ordered the hit on them.

Steven Brown said if they made a deal with him he could provide them with the proof that Briggs had killed not only the three women they knew about, but two others as well.

The third man, Spencer Booker, said for a deal he could provide information about the cocaine deal Briggs was making. He knew where the next buy was going to be and he knew where Briggs was staying.

When Starsky and the others arrived Seth filled Captain Glass in on everything. Captain Glass stated that Johnson, Reynolds and their relief team were all accounted for. The men were taken into custody and put into waiting patrol units. Starsky saw Hutch rubbing his head went to check on him "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just got knocked on the head, again. I'll be fine, Starsk."

"You had me worried. Seth, Thompson, are you two alright?"

Seth said, "I'm fine. Tell Kenny that getting out of the cuffs trick he taught us really came in handy."

Thompson said, "I'll be fine when we catch this Briggs guy. I really want to see him behind bars."

Hutch said, "Then let's go get him, now that we know where he is." Hutch looked at Starsky and asked, "Can I use your cell, I need to call Davey and let him and Debbie know I'm okay."

Starsky handed Hutch his cell phone and said, "Debbie's at my place."

"What?"

"She called me at noon when you didn't show up. She knew something was wrong. I'm glad she did."

"So you had her come to your place?"

"I wanted her to be safe. We didn't know what was going on. Its okay, I left her with Jeanne and the boys. I'm sure they told her all about you by now." He smiled.

"That's what I'm afraid of. I was hoping she would call you once I didn't show up."

He dialed Starsky's house phone and Jeanne answered. "Hello."

"Jeanne, this is Hutch, everything's okay. I'm fine and so are Seth and Thompson."

"What about Dave?"

"He's here with me. Can I talk to Davey a minute?"

"Sure."

Davey was standing next to Jeanne and she handed him the phone, "Dad, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Son. I'm just fine. I still have some work to do but everything's fine. I'll call again later after we get this wrapped up. Can you put Debbie on the phone, please?"

Davey handed the phone to Debbie as he said, "Dad wants to talk to you."

"Hutch, I was so worried. I'm glad you're alright."

"Yes, I'm fine now."

"I didn't know what to do when you didn't show up, so I called Starsky."

"I'm glad you did. Look, I got some loose ends to tie up here then I will be by and take you home. Are you okay?"  
"I was pretty worried about you, but I'm fine."

"I'm sorry about all this. I'll fill you in later."

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"Can you put Jeanne back on the phone? Starsky needs to talk to her."

"Sure."

She handed the phone to Jeanne. Starsky let Jeanne know that everyone was alright and he would be home in a little while. He wanted the patrol car to stay there for a while longer until they could tie up a couple of loose ends. He couldn't go into all the details quite yet. He asked her to keep Debbie there, and the boys inside until he could get back. She agreed.

Captain Glass sent Starsky back home. He knew he wanted to go with them to go after Briggs, but he was on medical leave and took a big chance just going out looking for Hutch. He protested but Hutch was pretty adamant about it.

Dale Briggs was located exactly where Spencer Booker said he was. Seth, Thompson and Hutch were able to catch him with enough cocaine to put him away for a long time.

After Briggs was booked, Seth, Thompson and Hutch were working on the report. Hutch looked at the other two and told them how proud he was of them for the way they handled themselves at the warehouse.

Seth said, "About the warehouse. Hutch, why hasn't Kenny shown you how to get out of handcuffs?"

"He keeps trying. I just can't do it."

Thompson asked, "So you think we did okay?"

"I sure do. You got out of a deadly situation and were able to get information out of those three that led to a major arrest. Thanks to you two, a rapist, murder and drug dealer is now behind bars where he will stay for a long time. You did a great job."

They said, "Thanks, Hutch" at the same time.

Hutch finally made it to Starsky's at about 1700 hours. Davey and Debbie were very happy to see that he was just fine. Davey asked his dad to step outside so he could talk to him alone for a minute. Once outside, he said that he understood if Hutch wanted to spend some time this evening with Debbie. Davey said that he knew his plans for the whole day had been messed up. He knew his dad had been looking forward to spending the time with Debbie. Hutch thanked Davey and said that he appreciated it and he would like to spend some time with her. Starsky joined them outside. Davey had talked to him earlier and asked if he could stay with them another night so Hutch could go out.

Hutch looked at the both of them and said, "I suppose I need to see her alone for a while now, to see what you four have been telling her about me all day." Starsky and Davey snickered. Hutch frowned at them.

Chapter 6

During dinner, Hutch apologized for the events earlier in the day. She said that she totally understood and she was just glad that all of them were alright. Debbie let Hutch know that she well taken care of at Starsky's. She said she had a nice time getting to know Kenny and Davey. After dinner they were walking on the beach and they had been talking about some of the pranks Starsky and Hutch had played on each other over the years. She laughed and said, "You actually let him think you had amnesia? That's so mean."

He laughed and said, "It was his fault we wrecked and I was mad. I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I told him I was faking it. It was priceless."

Still laughing she asked, "How long did it take him to forgive you?"

"He was over it by the next morning."

"You have a bit of an evil streak in you, don't you?"

"Well he does too." He grabbed her gently and kissed her.

Hutch had worked with Seth and Thompson on another assignment the following week. Then he was assigned to work with Austin and Martin for a couple of weeks. Things had been going great with Debbie and Hutch was seeing her as often as their schedules would allow, which was about every three days. He had introduced her to Huggy Bear and explained to her how important he has been over the years. He said if she ever needed anything, she could trust Huggy. They talked every night. Starsky was better after that first week, but his doctor wouldn't release him for light duty for another two weeks and full duty was going to be another four weeks. He was not happy about that. He was bored; he never was good at taking time off work. He also worried about Hutch whenever he was on the streets without him. No one would look out after his partner like he did. No one knew Hutch's every move as well as Starsky.

Austin and Martin were given a series of downtown robberies involving arson as their first case. They weren't sure if it was one person involved or more than one. As it was with Seth and Thompson, this case was Austin's and Martin's. Hutch would be there, but it was their case and they were to take the lead. As before, because he was working a case, he was supposed to check in with Starsky twice a day. Starsky would be briefed on the details of the case.

Austin and Martin were the leads on the case and it was up to them to decide where to start. They had talked and decided it would be best to start by interviewing all the store owners. There had been ten robberies within two weeks and four of the stores had been set on fire. The cameras had all been disabled so no videos were available. Austin got a tip from one of his contacts and they had a good idea which place was going to be hit next. It was their idea to stake the place out.

Hutch had told Debbie that he would be working on a case. The only details he could tell her, was that he would be working a few nights. He let her know that he would be checking in with Starsky. He would try to call her in the daytime if he could. She understood and said that she would cook dinner for him the first night he was able to make it.

The case went on for over a week and finally they got a break. Austin and had figured out that one of the store owners was responsible for all of the robberies and the arsons. The owner of the third store that had been robbed was arrested and brought to interrogation room two.

Austin and Martin had not had the opportunity to interrogate a lot of suspects. They had been allowed to watch Starsky and Hutch through the two-way mirror a few times. Austin asked Martin, "How do you want to play this?"

"How do you feel about ping-pong? He looks nervous enough for it to work."

Austin said, "Ping-pong it is then." They went into the interrogation room, Austin sat on the suspect's left side and Martin sat on his right side.

Austin started the questioning by asking, "Why did you rob your own place?"

Before he could answer Martin asked, "Who'd you hire to torch it?"

Then it was Martin's turn to ask a question and he said, "Tell us who the torch man is and we may make a deal."

This back and forth questioning went on for about twenty minutes and the suspect was so nervous and upset he threw up all over the table. Hutch was watching through the two-way mirror and started laughing. He said to himself, "That's a new one. No one's ever thrown up on us during an interrogation. Starsky's gonna love it."

The suspect told them everything. His store was losing money and he was in debt. He knew if he robbed and burned just his own store it would be too obvious. He did it for the insurance money. He made a complete confession.

Hutch, Davey and Debbie were at the Starsky's that night. They were all sitting around the table eating the pizza Hutch had brought.

Starsky laughed and said, "He actually threw up."

Hutch was laughing so hard he could hardly talk, "Yep all over the table. It was so funny, Starsk. I wish you could have seen it." Debbie and Jeanne just looked at each other like they were grossed out by the whole thing.

Kenny and Davey both said, "cool" at the same time.

Davey said, "Hey, Dad, now that Seth, Austin and their partners have solved their first case as detectives, what are you going to do until Uncle Dave comes back full time? Are you getting another temporary partner?"

Hutch said, "No. I'm going to stay with Austin and Martin or Seth and Thompson until Starsky comes back to full duty."

The time finally came when Starsky was released from his doctor for full active duty. Starsky and Hutch were both glad to be back together again. As much as Hutch liked working with Seth, Austin and their partners it wasn't the same as working with his own partner. Nobody knows how Hutch works and likes to do things like Starsky. Hutch had been spending a lot of time with Debbie. Starsky and Hutch were sitting at The Pits drinking a beer while they were talking to Huggy. He was about to give them information on a murder case they were working on.

Huggy asked Hutch, "So, how is it with your new lady?"

Starsky said, "He's starting to spend more time with her than me. I'm getting jealous."

Hutch, who had just taken a drink of his beer about spit it out, and said,

"Debbie and I are doing just fine. Thank you very much. And Starsky, you'll always be number one in my book." He laughed at him. Starsky laughed back.

Starsky said, "What do you got for us, Hug?"

Huggy said, "Well, I checked with my contacts and you will be able to find your wanted Charles Miller at the motel on the corner of Rush and Chambers Street at about 10 o'clock tonight. But be careful 'cause he's packing."

Hutch said, "Thanks, Huggy. You're better than Google." Starsky and Hutch made the bust without incident. They were both home late that night. Hutch was supposed to call Debbie at least two hours earlier. He knew she would understand. He called her, even though it was late and apologized for not calling sooner; she understood. He was really falling in love with her more each day.

Debbie and Sandy had talked a lot about Hutch since Debbie first saw him. Sandy was glad that Debbie had met someone as good to her as Hutch was. Sure his hours were odd and he had missed a couple of dates, even had to leave in the middle of a couple of them, but he was good for Debbie. She could tell Debbie was in love with Hutch.

Another month went by and Davey was ready for his karate tournament. He had been working very hard and practicing a lot for this. His coach thought he had a good chance of making his goal, which was to be in the top three for his age group for the state. Hutch and Debbie had been getting very close and she was going with the rest of the family to the tournament. The tournament was a two-hour drive and Debbie met Hutch and Davey at the Starsky's so they could all go up in the van. Davey was excited and a little nervous. Hutch knew once the competition started he would be fine. He always was nervous before a tournament.

When Davey accepted his trophy for second place he stood tall and proud. His Dad and the rest of the family were very proud of him. Debbie brought her camera and took a bunch of pictures throughout the whole competition. The trophy was almost as tall as Davey. When they got home Hutch put the trophy in the living room instead of Davey's bedroom with the others. He was very proud of Davey and the hard work he had put into this tournament. Kenny stayed the night that night and it took until three in the morning for them to settle down and go to sleep.

Chapter 7

After another month had gone by, Hutch decided that it was time. On his day off after Davey left for school, he stopped by the florist, bought a dozen red roses then drove to the cemetery. He stopped the car, opened the trunk and took out a folding chair he had put in it earlier. He gently leaned the roses against the headstone that read Jennifer Lynn Hutchinson. Hutch didn't pay attention to the years that listed when she was born and died, or the words that said she was a wife, sister and mother. He didn't see the picture of her that had been placed in the top left corner of the headstone. He just saw her name through his tears. He sat in the chair a few minutes. He talked slowly as he said, "Honey, I love you. I loved you since the minute I first saw you. I brought you your favorite roses. I know you told me that I didn't have to come here, that you wouldn't really be here. You said you'd always be in my heart and you were right. You are right here." He pointed to his heart. "I've been hanging in there like I promised. You'd be so proud of Davey. He took second place in the state karate championship last month." He smiled as he said, "The trophy is almost as big as he is. Davey and Kenny have become so close. They are such good friends like you always wanted. They want to be cops too, just like me and Starsk." He sat a few more minutes. He sobbed as he was talking. "Starsky and I are still on the force. Who'd have thought we be around this long, huh? Jeanne kept her promise to you; she has been so good to Davey and me." He took a deep breath, letting his tears roll down his face and said, "I know you told me that if I ever found someone, someone I really wanted to be with it would be okay. Well, it's taken a long time, but I have. I found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. I wanted it to be with be with you, but that wasn't meant to be. I love Debbie and I want to make a new life with her." He sat a while longer without saying a word. His phone rang, it was Starsky, and he let it ring. If it was really important he would call back. He touched her name on the headstone. "I love her. You'd like her, I know you would. Davey likes her and so does Jeanne. She works at the hospital. That's how we met. I want you to know that even though I love Debbie, I will still always love you. You once said I had a big heart, I guess you were right because it's big enough for both of you." He heard a car pull up. Hutch recognized the sound of the motor, it was Starsky's car. He didn't turn to look. Hutch put his head in his hands and cried. Starsky walked up to his partner and with tears in his eyes bent down and hugged Hutch. Hutch let the tears flow. He was glad Starsky had shown up. He always seemed to show up when Hutch needed him the most. Starsky didn't say anything for a long time; he just let Hutch hold on to him. Hutch saw a yellow butterfly sitting on the top of the headstone. Jennifer loved yellow butterflies. Hutch broke the embrace he had on his best friend and said,"Do you see it?"

"I see it Hutch. She's telling you its okay, buddy. Marry Debbie, you love her."

"I will, if she'll have me." The butterfly flew away.

That night he went into Davey's room. Davey was ready for bed and had already turned the light out. "I'm not asleep yet, Dad." Hutch turned the light on and sat on the edge of Davey's bed. "I want to ask you something, Son, and I want you to be honest with me, okay?"

Davey sat up and smiled at his dad, "Marry her, Dad. You love her and she loves you. She makes you happy. I like her too."

"How'd you know what I was going to ask?"

"It's written all over your face. But when you ask her make it really special."

"I will, but mums the word okay. Don't tell anyone including Kenny and Jeanne."

"I won't."

Hutch turned to walk out and he hesitated before turning out the light. Davey said, "Yes, I really like her, Dad." He laid his head on his pillow. Hutch turned out the light.

The next day Hutch told Starsky that he wanted to take Jeanne to lunch alone. He explained that he wanted to tell Jeanne his plans for asking Debbie to marry him. Starsky understood that his partner wanted and needed to do this alone. Starsky asked, "So how you gonna ask her?"

"I'm working on that. I want it to be special."

Hutch had called Jeanne earlier and asked her out to lunch. Jeanne was off work. He picked her up about noon. Jeanne liked a little soup and salad bar buffet place. Jeanne knew what Hutch was going to say. Starsky never said a word to her, but she knew. She looked at Hutch and said,"You're going to ask Debbie to marry you, aren't you."

"You figured that out, huh?"

"It doesn't take a detective to see how much you two love each other. Hutch, I hope you don't think you need my approval."

"I know better than that, I just wanted to tell you in person. I know you know I loved Jennifer and I know you both want me to be happy. This isn't about all that."

"Good, 'cause she did want you to move on. She told us both that. I'm so happy for you, Hutch and she would be too."

"If she says yes, things are going to change for our happy family of five."

"She'll say yes, she loves you. Change is good. To be honest, I could use the help taking care of you boys."

"Kenny and Davey are a handful." He smiled.

"I was referring to you and David." She laughed and took a drink of her ice tea.

"Oh, Starsky and I are a handful, huh?"

"I have spent many sleepless night worrying about one or both of you. Now I'll have company."

"I've had a lot of sleepless nights over the years worrying about us too, and I know Starsky has too."

"So how are you going to ask her?"

"I don't know. Davey asked the same thing last night. He said it should be special. I don't know how I'm going to do it but it will be special."

They talked a while as they finished their lunch. Hutch took Jeanne back home and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek as he went back to the station to catch up with Starsky.

Chapter 8

Jeanne, Sandy and Hutch walked into the jewelry store. Hutch wanted Debbie's two best friends to help him pick out the perfect ring. Hutch had told them that he'd like to find something different, something other than just a diamond. They were looking at the engagement rings.

Sandy said, "Maybe a ruby, surrounded by smaller diamonds?"

Jeanne said, "She likes rubies and red is her favorite color."

Hutch said, "That sounds perfect." The clerk asked if he could help them. "We're looking for an engagement ring."

Sandy said, "Do you have rubies, maybe surrounded by diamonds?"

The clerk said, "We do. Step over here, we have a large selection. I'm sure you'll find just what you're looking for." He moved to the display on the left.

Jeanne was looking at them and said, "These are so beautiful."

Sandy smiled as she too looked at them, "They really are. It's going to be hard to choose one, Hutch."

Hutch stared at the rings for a long time. He wanted it to be perfect. It was Jeanne who saw it, a beautiful ruby ring that would be just right.

"Hutch, look at this one."

The clerk took the ring out of the case and handed it to Hutch. Jeanne was right it, was stunning. The ring was a heart shaped ruby stone that had smaller heart shaped diamonds all the way around it, on a silver band. Hutch handed the ring to Jeanne who looked at it and handed it to Sandy.

Sandy stared at it for a long time and said, "It's so beautiful. Oh, Hutch, she's going to love this."

Jeanne said, "It's perfect. Trust us, it's the one."

Hutch nodded. He knew they were right. It was the right ring for the right woman. He looked at Sandy and Jeanne and said,"I knew the two of you would help me find just the right one." He looked at the clerk and said, "This is the one. I want this one, please."

The clerk said, "You've made a fine choice, sir. Would you like me to gift wrap it?"

Hutch said, "No thanks. Just put it in the box please." Hutch handed the clerk his credit card.

The clerk returned with the ring in the box he said, "If it isn't the right size bring it back and we'll take care of it."

Outside the store the women looked at it again. Hutch swore them to secrecy. They said they would not say anything. They both wanted Debbie to be surprised when he asked her to marry him.

Hutch showed the ring to Davey that night. He knew his dad went looking for a ring with Sandy and Jeanne. Davey thought it was pretty. When Starsky showed up to pick him up for work the next day he had him come inside so he could see it too. Starsky looked at it and said that Debbie was going to love it. He asked Hutch if he knew when and how he was going to "pop the question."

"I still don't know, but it'll come to me."

"We'll let's get going. Chief Sterling has a new case he wants us on."

Hutch put the ring back in its box then placed it in his small jewelry box.

Chief Sterling had put them on a drug smuggling case with the three other teams they most liked to work with, Johnson and Reynolds; Seth and Thompson; Austin and Martin.

It was going to be another week or so of long stake-outs and they were taking turns. Starsky and Hutch were watching the suspects house when Hutch said, "I got it!"

Starsky had dozed off and the excitement in Hutch's voice woke him instantly, "Got what? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just figured out when and how to ask Debbie to marry me." Hutch just sat there with a smile on his face.

"Well I know Jeanne, Debbie and the boys think I can read your mind. Most of the time I guess I can, but not this time; spill it, pal."

"The policeman's picnic is just two weeks away. I'll ask her then in front of everyone."

"You could sing her a song during the talent show and ask her at the end." He sounded excited and said, "No, better yet, sing her a song that asks her to marry you. It would be so special, Hutch."

"Sing her a proposal. I like it. God, I'd be so nervous."

"Hey, I'll be there with you. You can do it."

"Let's keep this our secret, okay. Don't tell Jeanne or the boys."

"You got it, buddy."

Two weeks later, Hutch and Davey were getting ready for the annual policeman's picnic. Hutch took the box that held the ring he would be giving to Debbie in just a few short hours, and put it in his coat pocket. Starsky was still the only one who knew that today was the day. Today was the day he would ask Debbie to be his wife. Hutch had said that if Sandy wanted to go he would be glad to take her too. Sandy was such a good, close friend of Debbie's. She had helped pick out the ring and wanted her to see the proposal. Sandy had not been told about the proposal, but she suspected it when Hutch asked if she wanted to go to the picnic. She said she'd be happy to go. They met Starsky, Jeanne and Kenny at the picnic. Everyone was having a good time. Kenny, Davey, and some of their friends were playing tag football, there were people grilling hot dogs and hamburgers on a couple of grills, people were eating and others were on a wooden stage that had been brought in for the annual talent show that was to be held later. As the day went on Hutch was getting more nervous. He kept putting his hand in his coat pocket and checking to make sure the ring was still there. Starsky saw this and knew Hutch was nervous. He stood by Hutch and said, "Give it to me."

"What?"

"You're so nervous, you're gonna lose it. I'll hold on to it for you."

"You'll be on stage with me, right?"

"Right beside ya, buddy. Well more like in the corner, but I'll be there for you, like always."

Hutch took the small box that held the ring. He handed it to Starsky, who put it in his pocket. Starsky patted Hutch on the shoulder and smiled. Hutch knew that it would be safe.

After everyone had finished their meals, it was time for the talent show to start. Any member of the department or their family members were encouraged to display their talent. A few officers sang, some were pretty good, others not so much. Kenny gave a good 20 minute magic show, which included escaping from handcuffs, a straight jacket, and being tied up with a rope. He amazed the crowd with a couple of card tricks and a disappearance of a couple of volunteer's wallets. Other acts included a couple of comedians and dancers. Davey performed one of his karate routines. Then it was time, the moderator said, "Our next act has been a favorite for years. Ken Hutchinson is going to sing for us."

Hutch walked up on stage with his guitar in hand. There was a chair in the corner of the stage; he pulled it toward the microphone. He saw Starsky standing in the corner, just as he promised he would be. Hutch looked around and saw Jeanne and Sandy talking to Debbie. He took one last look at Starsky, who nodded, winked and smiled at him.

He sat in the chair, adjusted the microphone and nervously cleared his throat. He said, "This, song is dedicated to a very special lady." He put the guitar strap around his neck and sat up straight as he said, "Debbie, this is for you."

Kenny and Davey were sitting at a table talking to their friends when Davey heard Hutch's dedication he looked at his friends and quietly said, "I'll bet dad's going to propose. Let's go closer." Kenny and Davey got up and made their way through the crowd to the front, so they were standing next to Jeanne, Sandy, and Debbie.

Hutch started singing, "From this moment life has begun  
From this moment you are the one  
Right beside you is where I belong  
From this moment on

From this moment I have been blessed  
I live only for your happiness  
And for your love I'd give my last breath  
From this I give my hand to you with all my heart  
Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start  
You and I will never be apart  
My dreams came true because of you."

By this time he had a single tear rolling down his face. He looked at Starsky. Starsky walked up to Hutch, took the guitar from him, and handed him the box that held the ring. Hutch took a deep breath and said, "Debbie, will come up here, please." His voice was so soft and sweet.

Jeanne and Sandy were in tears. Davey looked at them and Kenny with a big smile. Hutch could certainly turn on the charm. Debbie looked at Sandy who nodded at her, so did Jeanne. Starsky smiled at her as he helped her up the steps and escorted her to Hutch's side. Then he took a few steps back. Hutch opened the box, took out the ring, bent down on one knee and said, "I meant what I sang, from this moment life has begun. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Debbie couldn't speak; she nodded through her tears and mouthed, "Yes." The crowd cheered. Hutch put the ring on Debbie's finger and into the microphone said, "I love Debbie Williams and she said yes." Then he kissed her. Starsky helped Hutch escorted her off the stage

Hutch had walked with Debbie away from the crowd. They were both smiling as he hugged her again. She said, "You sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet, Kenneth Hutchinson."

"That was kinda the point. I love you."

"I love you too." They kissed.

Chapter 9

After the engagement, things went quickly. Jeanne, Debbie and Sandy had all become very close friends. There were many long nights for Debbie when Hutch had missed dates or called late. She understood them all. She spent a lot of time with Jeanne and the boys while the guys were working over.

Jeanne had started looking at Debbie like a new sister. She could never replace Jennifer but she helped fill the void. It was nice having someone else to talk to when Starsky and Hutch were out late, someone else who would understand what it meant to be in love with a cop as dedicated as they were. They talked a lot about the "special bond" between Starsky and Hutch. Jeanne said, "It's been there since I first met them."

Jeanne talked a lot about Jennifer with Debbie. Hutch had told Debbie that she had died of cancer when Davey was only four, but Jeanne was able to tell Debbie just how close Hutch and Jennifer were. It was hard on them all when Jennifer was diagnosed. She fought it for over a year, but it finally took her. Hutch, Jeanne and Starsky were with her at home when she died in Hutch's arms. Jennifer told Hutch that if he ever found anyone he ever wanted to be with she would be happy for him. Everyone had time to say what they wanted to say to her before the end. Hutch had a hard time with it but he had Davey to look after and Starsky was always there for him. Jeanne felt good to talk to someone else about Jennifer, someone who didn't know her. Jeanne felt like she could talk to Debbie about Jennifer without upsetting her.

Debbie had started staying some nights with Hutch when Davey was staying with Kenny. The first night Debbie stayed the night she saw an old teddy bear sitting on left side of Hutch's dresser. She looked at it a minute. Hutch saw her look and said, "Oh, that's Ollie."

"Ollie? I've never noticed him before."

"He's been sitting there for years." He sat on the bed and motioned for her to sit beside him. He said, "Years ago, Starsky was in love with an amazing woman. Her name was Terri Roberts and she worked with special kids in the inner city. They probably would have ended up married someday. He loved her that much."

"What happened?"

Hutch paused, this was going to be a difficult story to tell, but Debbie had a right to know. He stood up and said, "Let's go in the kitchen and I'll pour us a glass of wine." They walked into the kitchen and he poured them both a glass of wine. They sat at the table and he continued, "There was a crazy man, George Prudhom, who blamed Starsky for the death of his son. His son had died in jail shortly after he was arrested. Prudholm lost his mind over it. He killed two officers before we could catch him. He was put away for a long time. Two years later, he got out due to some kind of clerical error, a fluke of some kind. He wanted Starsky to suffer a loss like he had so along with a couple of accomplices, they went after people Starsky was close to. Terri was shot in the head at a local store. She survived the injury at the time, but the bullet was lodged in her brain in such a way that surgery was not an option. Terri could have lived maybe a year if she chose to stay in bed and lie flat on her back, but that wasn't her. She wanted to live life to the fullest." He took a sip of his wine. She reached out her hand and touched his. He smiled at her as he choked back his tears. "I want to show you something." They walked back into the bedroom as she on the bed. Hutch opened his jewelry box that was sitting on the dresser and took out a piece of paper from an old faded envelope. "Her instructions were that exactly two weeks after she died at midnight, she wanted Starsky and me to open the gifts she left us." He swallowed hard as he remembered that night like it was yesterday. Debbie took a deep breath as she tried to imagine the pain, physical and emotional, they had gone through together. "To me, she left Ollie and this note." He held the faded paper as he read it, "Dearest Hutch, to you I have entrusted Ollie and Dave. Please love them both and don't let either one of them change." He had tears in his eyes as he picked Ollie up and said, "Ollie was a favorite childhood toy of Terri's and she had him with her at the hospital. I keep him on the dresser to remind me why Starsk and I do what we do. See, he was going to quit the force then."

"You stopped him from quitting?"

He told her about a call he vaguely remembered making to a Canadian football team, then there was talk about robbing banks down south. He said, "If Starsky quit the force, I would have too. In the end we decided that being cops is what we were meant to be."

"What did she leave Starsky?"

Hutch laughed. Debbie was surprised a bit at his laughter. "She gave him a book, 'A Hundred Ways To Win Monopoly." He noticed that she had a bewildered look on her face. "He stinks at Monopoly. She used to beat him every time." She laughed knowing the inside joke now.

"Hutch, can I ask you something else?"

He put his arm around her and said, "You can ask me anything anytime. I will always tell you the truth."

"You said he went after people Starsky was close to, right?"

He took a deep breath and thought he may as well tell the rest of it. "They beat up Huggy and Prudholm tried to kill me by rigging a shotgun to shoot me as I opened a door." Debbie's eyes got wide as he said that.

"Hey, Starsky and I are good at what we do. We saw it was trap, I didn't get hurt. We got him and he was put away for good. He died in prison about fifteen years ago."

She looked at Ollie as Hutch carefully put the note back in its envelope.

"Thanks for telling me. I know it was hard for you. Each time I hear another story about you and Starsky, I feel I know you both a little better and can understand the friendship and trust you two share. The more I know you, the more I love you."

He sat back on the bed next to her and kissed her gently. "Well, we have plenty of stories like that one. I wouldn't change any of them and neither would he. All the things we've been through, the good and the bad, have led us to where we are today and the trust we have is because of all those things. Well I might have changed a few things if I could, but I can't so I live with it all. No one understands the relationship between the two of us, not even us. We just kinda go with it." She kissed him and they fell back on the bed.

As Hutch sat up and started to put his shirt on the next morning, Debbie saw a scar on left upper arm and several on his left shoulder too. She gasped. Hutch saw the look on her face and said,"I'm sorry you saw those." He tried to hurry and put his shirt on.

She stopped and said, "No. Don't be. It's just I had no idea. I mean I know you've been hurt but I never imagined all these scars. I didn't mean to react like that."

"It's okay. There is a story about each one. Let's start with this one." He rubbed his hand over the scar on his left upper arm it was about six inches long. "This one is complements of Diane Harmon."

"Diane Harmon?"

"I went out with her and she was one crazy lady. To make a long story short, she was possessive and jealous and tried to kill me when she realized I wasn't in love with her. She stabbed me while I was taking a shower. Starsky arrived just in time to save me."

"So, he saved your life that time."

"Yeah, I figure we're about even in the saving each other's life department."

Debbie put her right index finger to her lips and kissed it, then put her finger on every one of Hutch's scars as he explained how he received each one. She saw a bunch of scars on his left shoulder on both sides. "What about those?"

"These five are gunshot wounds." He pointed to the top one. He closed his eyes and sighed. He could still see the events of that day in his mind, as if it were yesterday. "This one here, I got as we were watching a Superbowl game. Well, we didn't actually get to see the game. A group of angry people shot at a bunch of us."

"I heard about that. I never realized you were in that. Was Starsky shot too?"

"I was shot trying to help him after he was hit." Debbie rubbed her face. She knew Hutch would die for Starsky, but how could he talk so casually about it.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I was just visualizing you running out after Starsky in a hail of bullets, his knight in shining armor."

He laughed, "It wasn't quite like that. I had plenty of cover. I wasn't hurt that bad. I was released the next day. Starsky was shot in the back trying to get to Seth. In all, sixteen of us were shot that day, but everyone lived."

Her eyes grew big. "Sixteen in one day?"

"Everyone did what they were trained to do and we didn't lose anyone. I won't lie, it was bad but everyone's okay now. You sure you want to go on?"

"Every one of them. I want to know about all of them. There is one thing I'd like to ask though."

"Ask away. You can ask me anything, anytime."

"All these scars, everything you went through, how can you talk so casually about it all?"

"Remember, honey, most of these I got years ago. I guess I've just accepted the scars and everything Starsky and I have gone through as part of who I am. Does that make sense?"

She thought a minute and said, "Yes, it does, Hutch. In a strange way, I do understand." She pointed to the next scar on his shoulder.

"This one I got seven years ago during a liquor store robbery. I was treated and released."

He pointed to another one, "This was given to be while on a drug bust. It was close to my heart but I was out of the hospital in three days."

"This one I got chasing a murder suspect. Starsky caught him. That was about six years ago. And this last one here, I got from a sixteen year old girl who was part of a juvenile gang robbing houses. They were giving the merchandise they stole to a man who was supposed to be taking care of them. I was in the hospital a few days. Starsky was given another partner to work with."

"How'd he like having another partner?"

"He hated it at first, but she turned out to be a pretty good cop. We never work well with others, but he did okay with her."

"What about the scar on your lower back?"

"That I got falling off my bike when I was twelve. It took ten stitches."

She saw a big scar on his leg. She pointed to that one and put her finger to her lips again and then on the scar.

Hutch took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had tried over the past three years to put that behind him. "Of all my injuries, I think this is the hardest one to talk about."

"You don't have to tell me about it, if you don't…"

He cut her off, "I want to. You deserve to know everything. Do you remember me telling you I was kidnapped about three years ago for almost four months?"

"I remember."

"I got that when I escaped and fell in the woods. It was a bad cut. I still have nightmares sometimes about the whole thing but not very often. There are things about the kidnapping I have never told you. I told you that I was left alone for long periods of times, but I was also tortured. I was beaten and tased. Starsky knows everything and I will talk to you more about it but later, okay?"

"Okay. I didn't mean to bring up…"

"Hey, it's okay. You deserve to know everything."

"Anymore scars?"

He pointed to a smaller scar on his left leg, "This one I got when I was ran off the road by someone who wanted me dead. I was trapped under my car for a couple of days before Starsky could find me. I broke my leg. I would have died there, trapped if Starsky hadn't found me in time."

"He came to your rescue again, huh?"

"Yeah, he did; just in time, like always."

"Any more scars?"

"Not visible, but plenty in here and here." He pointed to his head and his heart.

"I'll bet." She kissed him. "Thank you for explaining them to me."

"You deserved to know about each one of them."

"Does Starsky have many scars?"

"Oh, he's got plenty. Remember me telling you about the assiassination attempt by Gunther? He's got a few from that and he's been shot a few other times during our careers. He's been poisoned too. I've saved him just in the nick of time too. Times too close for comfort. I'll tell you more about them someday."

"It's amazing the two of you are still alive. I see what you meant, when you told me because of the two of you, the department probably bought a whole wing of the hospital."

"We know. Believe me, we know. Somehow we've always managed to pull through."

"I think it's that bond you two have."

He laughed. "Maybe."

"No, I mean it, Hutch. You two have been partners so long. You are so important to each other. You know that and so does Starsky. I think neither of you want to leave the other behind."

He looked serious and a little embarrassed at the same time, "We don't. We've almost lost each other a lot of times."

"I'm glad you have each other out there on the streets."

"Me too." He kissed her and said, "Let me fix you breakfast." Hutch made her a nice breakfast. They both felt very much in love with each other. Having both lost a spouse, they were surprised to find the love they thought they'd never find again.

Chapter 10

A couple of weeks later, Chief Sterling had given Starsky and Hutch a three-day weekend after an especially difficult case. Starsky and Jeanne decided that Hutch, Debbie and Davey could use some time alone so they decided to take Kenny to a magic convention that was being held in Los Angeles. It was an early birthday present for him.

Hutch made one of his famous breakfast shakes that Friday morning and asked Davey, "What are your plans for the weekend since Kenny's going to be gone?"

"I don't know, Dad, what do you have in mind?"

"Well I thought you and I could hang out, go to the game, a movie or something?"

"What about Debbie?"

"What do you mean?"

"Won't she be going with us? You can't leave her home alone; she's spent enough time alone with all the hours you've been working lately. And, Dad, she can spend the night… again."

"Again?"

"Dad, I'm gonna be a detective one day. I know she's been staying here when I've been at Kenny's. I don't mind." He smirked. "I'm happy to have her in our lives, Dad."

Hutch's startled look turned into an amused one as he said, "You don't mind, huh?"

"No, I don't mind. Dad, I'm almost sixteen years old, I'm not a little kid. You're engaged and she's going to be living here soon anyway. It's okay, really."

Hutch thought about it for a minute and got a serious look on his face and said, "Davey, you know, she really…"

Davey held up his hand, "Yeah yeah, don't get all soapy on me, please." He pretended to stick his finger down his throat like he was going to make himself sick and Hutch laughed. "I'm going to be late for school if I don't hurry and get out of here. As for the weekend, invite Debbie over. Our, what you call, "lunch bunch" wants to meet at the skate park tomorrow afternoon if that's okay with you. That will give you and Debbie some time alone." He rolled his eyes kidding with his Dad, then added, "Then maybe the three of us could do something fun."

Hutch shook his head back and forth as he chuckled, "You really are amazing, Son, you know that."

"Of course I know. I keep telling you, I have good role models." Davey laughed as he grabbed his backpack and headed for the door just as Jeanne pulled up to take him and Kenny to school. "I'll see you tonight, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, Son."

Hutch sat down and finished his coffee as he thought about his son and what a wonderful young man he was growing into. As he was finishing his coffee he had an idea, but he wanted some female advice. He knew Jeanne was getting packed for the weekend, so he called Sandy and asked her to meet him at the store. Sandy met Hutch at the store and he told her that he wanted to make his bedroom and bathroom a little more feminine for Debbie. He'd been a bachelor so long he wanted some advice. Sandy helped him pick out a few things for her side of the sink. She also helped him pick out some linen that would be a little more to Debbie's liking without it being too feminine. There were things Debbie would need like soaps, perfumes, razors things like that Sandy helped picked out too. Hutch thanked her and went back home.

Hutch started with the bathroom. He was glad Davey had his own bathroom for Debbie's sake. Sharing a bathroom with one man is bad enough but two would not be a pretty sight. When Hutch and Jennifer bought the house years ago, one of the things she liked about it was the master bathroom. It had two sinks and two medicine cabinets. Hutch had his things in the cabinet on the left. The cabinet on the right had been empty since Jennifer's death. Hutch was happy to have things in it again. He put the things they had picked out in it. When he was done, the cabinet had everything a woman could possibly want. It had razors, good smelling soaps, Debbie's favorite perfume, make up, hair brush, and other things a woman would want. He was glad Sandy had helped him, he never would have remembered all the stuff that women needed. Next, he put the new linens on his bed.

Once that was done, Hutch rearranged his closet. He had a nice size walk-in closet. It was another thing Jennifer loved about the house. There was plenty of room in it for both of their things. He just needed to organize it a little. He knew from past experience, that she would need more room than he did. He stood back and looked at it when he was done. "Nice job, Hutch, she's going to love all this," he said to himself.

The dresser was next on his list of things to rearrange. He had been just shoving stuff in any drawer without thinking about it, but now that too would need a little organizing. When he was done, there was plenty of room for Debbie's things. He was proud of himself and finished just as Davey came home from school.

Hutch met him in the kitchen. Davey always wanted an afternoon snack when he came home. They ate a sandwich and had a glass of milk. Davey could tell by the look on his Dad's face that he wanted to tell him something. "What is it?"

"What's what?"

"I know there's something you want to tell me, what is it?"

"I made some changes in my room today."

"For Debbie?" He smirked.

"Yes, for Debbie: for both of us actually."

"Bout time you made it a little more presentable for a woman."

Hutch laughed, "Son?"

He laughed, "What?"

"I love you."

"Let's go see your new look." They walked into Hutch's room. Hutch opened the closet and Davey saw all the room he had left for Debbie.

"Dad, she'll have twice as much space as you have."

"Women need it. Trust me on this. She'll use every bit of it." He smiled.

They walked into the bathroom and Davey saw the medicine cabinet Hutch had fixed for Debbie. "I know you were married to Mom, but how'd you remember all this stuff?"

"I had help. I called Sandy and she went shopping with me."

"That was a good idea. I noticed the new sheets and comforter on the bed. I think she'll like that too. Now what about the dresser? Did you make space for her there?"

"Yes, I made space for her there." He sounded sarcastic, but laughed at the same time.

"What's on for tonight?"

"She's working tonight so it's just you and me. What would you like to do?"

"I don't know? What do you want to do?"

Hutch thought a minute. "I got it. Grab your jacket, let's go."

Davey grabbed his jacket and asked, "Where we going, Dad?"

"It's a surprise, but trust me you'll love it."

Hutch took Davey to the police driving track. Davey would be taking his test for his learner's permit in a couple of weeks and the track was a perfect place to teach him how to drive. Starsky had brought Kenny here a few months ago when he taught him how to drive. Davey had a blast and Hutch thought he did very well for his first time.

The next day Davey went to the skate park and met Calvin, James, Amy and Tracy. They had a great time showing each other tricks they knew on their skateboards.

While Davey was gone, Hutch invited Debbie over. When she came in Hutch fixed her lunch and as they sat at the kitchen table he looked so happy. She asked, "What is it, Hutch?"

"Davey and I had a talk yesterday. He knows."

"Knows what?"

"That you've been staying with me while he's at Kenny's."

"You told him?" She sounded surprised; she didn't think he wanted Davey to know.

Hutch chuckled, "No, he told me. He said he was going to be a detective one day and he knew you were staying over. He's okay with it. He said we're engaged and you'd be living here soon anyway."

"He's such a great kid. You've done a good job raising him."

"I had plenty of help from Jeanne."

"There's something I'd like to show you." He stood as they finished their lunch and walked into his bedroom. He opened the closet door. She saw all the empty space and said, "For me?"

He nodded and said, "For you and that's not all. Look in the bathroom."

He opened her medicine cabinet. "How'd you know what to get?"

"I had no clue. I recruited help."

"Sandy?"

"She went with me to the store yesterday and picked out all this stuff. She's awesome; she knew just what you needed."

"I don't know what to say."

"Hey, this is going to be your house too, after were married. There's one more thing I'd like to show you." He opened the empty dresser drawers.

"Oh, Hutch, you're the best." She hugged him and said, "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He kissed her. "Now let's talk about a date."

"For the wedding?"

"Yes, for the wedding."

"I'll be able to get off work anytime for it, what about you?"

"For this, I will too."

"Okay. How long do we want to wait?"

"Not long. How long do you think we'll need to plan it?"

"Let's pick a day that will be special to just us. I mean I don't want to get married on Christmas or Valentine's Day or anything like that, okay?"

"Okay." They talked a while about a date and decided that May 5th at 1900 hours. That gave them about six months to plan for it. They talked about how big a wedding they wanted. At first they talked about Hutch wearing his police dress blues along with the groomsmen, and having a big wedding. Debbie said, "Hutch, when Stan and I were married we had a full fireman's wedding with everyone in their dress uniforms. I…"

Hutch cut her off and said, "I understand what you're saying. When Starsky and I married Jeanne and Jennifer we had a full police wedding, the dress blues, the whole bit. It was special. I think what you're saying, is you want our wedding to be special for us and not a reproduction of our other weddings, right?"

"Exactly."

He smiled, he was glad she was thinking the same thing he was. "What do we want then?"

After a long discussion about the wedding it was finally decided that the most important thing to each of them was being married and spending the rest of their lives together. This would be his 3rd wedding and Debbie's 2nd. The wedding would take place in a church, that was important to both of them, but it would not be a huge affair. There would probably be about 80 guests. Most of them worked with Hutch or Debbie. Debbie would have Sandy as her Maid Of Honor, Jeanne, and Tracy would be her bridesmaids. Starsky would be Hutch's Best Man, Davey and Kenny would be his groomsmen. Hutch and groomsmen would wear navy blue suits with teal blue shirts and white ties. The bridesmaid's dresses would be a pretty teal blue that matched the men's shirts.

"What about you? What's your dress going to look like?"

"Now, Hutch, you don't get to know anything about my dress until you see me walking down the aisle in it."

"Not even a hint?"

"I don't know what I'm wearing yet, and no, not even a hint."

He kissed her and said, "Okay, you win."

Chapter 11

The following couple of months went by very quickly. Sandy and Jeanne were helping with all the details of the wedding. They found the perfect teal blue bridesmaids dresses and suits for the men to match.

When Starsky and Hutch married Jeanne and Jennifer it was a double wedding so Huggy and Chief Dobey were their best men. It just wasn't practical for them to be each other's best man then. Starsky was very happy to be the best man this time. Davey and Kenny were very proud to be the groomsmen. Debbie had something special in mind for Huggy.

Debbie had no family. Her parents had died a few years ago and she was an only child. She really liked Huggy and thought since he had been such a big part of Hutch's life and they had known each other so long she thought he would be the perfect one to give her away. She talked to Hutch about it and he thought it was great idea.

They went to The Pits and sat in their usual booth. Huggy walked over to them and said, "What is your pleasure tonight, a little food and a little wine?"

Hutch said, "Yeah, for starters. Just bring us the usual, please."

"It shall be ready in a minute."

When he brought their dinner and sat it on the table, Hutch said, "Why don't you sit a minute, Hug?"

Huggy sat down and said, "Okay, what info do you need on whom now?"

Debbie laughed as she said,"Actually I have a favor to ask of you."

"For you, anything my sweet." He said as he picked up her hand and kissed it.

"You know I don't have a father or any other male relatives, I was wondering if you'd do me the honor of giving me away at our wedding?"

Huggy smiled as big a smile as Hutch had ever seen, "I could never give away someone as lovely as you. I would be honored, however, to present you to Hutch at your wedding."

Hutch and Debbie both smiled. Debbie gave a sigh of relief; she really wanted Huggy to give her away.

Starsky and Hutch were driving on the way to talk to Huggy a few weeks later, when Hutch said, "Starsk?"

"Don't worry, buddy. I know you don't want a big, wild bachelor party."

"How'd you…" He stopped in mid sentence. "Never mind, I know how you know."

Starsky laughed, "So, we really can read each other minds, huh?"

Hutch just gave him a whatever look. "Don't worry, your party will be to your liking. I promise, trust me?"

Hutch smiled at Starsky, he knew he could trust him, "I do trust you, Starsk, I always have, always will."

Hutch's phone rang it was Debbie, he knew that because the ringtone was the song he sang to her the night he proposed, 'From This Moment.'

"Hutch, did you forget we had the appointment with the caterer."

"The caterer oh no, honey, "He looked at Starsky, he had totally forgotten about it. Starsky turned the car around and headed towards the caterer. Hutch gave him a relieved thank you look. "We're on the way now. We had a meeting with Huggy and I'm just running late. Starsky's going to drop me off now." He hung up and said, "Thanks, buddy. I forgot about the caterer."

Starsky laughed and said, "Just don't be late on the 6th."

"The 6th, Starsk, the wedding's the 5th."

"The 6th, Hutch"

Hutch looked confused for a minute. Did he really have the date wrong? Starsky was laughing at him. "That's not funny, Starsk. I'm a nervous wreck as it is."

Starsky was really laughing now. "Aw come on, pal, everything will fall into place. It'll be fine. I'm your best man, right?"

"Right."

"I won't let anything go wrong. You will be at the right church on time, in the right suit, with the ring. It will be perfect." He put his hand on Hutch's shoulder. "Now, let's get to the caterer so you stay out of trouble."

Hutch looked at Starsky and smiled. "I don't know why I'm so nervous about it. It's my 3rd wedding. I'm getting good at it by now."

"It's your 3rd, but you still want it to be perfect."

"I want it to be perfect for her."

"It will be, buddy, it will be. You got me, she has Sandy and Debbie for that."

Starsky dropped Hutch off at the caterers and he went to meet Huggy by himself. Huggy gave him some information on the drug case they were working on. Starsky told Huggy that Hutch's bachelor party was going to be low-keyed. Hutch didn't want a bunch of dancing girls and all that. He was a little old for that, besides he really loved Debbie and didn't need anyone else. Huggy suggested everyone could come to 'The Pits.' He would close it down for Hutch's party and it could be more about the friendships Hutch has built over the years. Starsky said, "That's a great idea, Hug. Hey, I need any pictures you have of Hutch and our friends."

"I got a few of those lying around."

"Hutch is going to love it. We got to keep it a secret from him though."

"Mum's the word. It will be a surprise for our blond buddy."

He patted Hutch on the shoulder, "Thanks, Hug."

All the details of the wedding had been worked out. The flowers ordered, church and minister lined up, reception hall rented, all the bridesmaids dresses had been ordered and properly fitted as well as the suits for the groomsmen, and Hutch. Invitations had been sent, a menu had been worked out with the caterer, cake ordered, and every other detail had worked out. Everything was ready for the wedding.

Starsky and Jeanne had told Hutch and Debbie not to worry about their honeymoon. They would take care of all of it, but wouldn't tell either of them what the arrangements were until a week before the wedding. They wanted Hutch and Debbie to have enough time to pack for it. One week before the 'big day', the Starsky's invited Hutch, Debbie and Davey over for a spaghetti dinner. After they had finished their dessert, which were banana splits the boys made, Starsky said, "This is our wedding present to you two. We wanted to give it to you now, so you'll have time to pack." He smiled as he handed Hutch an envelope. Starsky said, "Here you go, pal. Have a great time."

Hutch opened the envelope with Debbie watching. Inside the envelope were tickets to a two-week cruise to Alaska. Hutch said, "Starsk, Jeanne its perfect." Debbie didn't know what to say, she just looked at them and said, "Thank you so much." Hutch wanted to ask Starsky if he was sure he could afford it, but he knew Starsk well enough not to ask. The look on Hutch and Debbie faces let Starsky know it was the best honeymoon he could have given them.

Debbie said, "I've always wanted to go to go on a cruise to Alaska. This is going to be great."

"It sure is, honey."

Chapter 12

Huggy had closed the restaurant for Hutch's bachelor party, which was two days before the wedding. Starsky had promised that he wouldn't go overboard and Hutch was really hoping he hadn't. Under Starsky's strict instructions, Huggy along with Seth, Austin, Thompson, Martin, Johnson and Reynolds had decorated 'The Pits' for the special occasion. Huggy also took the car keys from everyone as they entered. He would give them back to the designated drivers when the party was over. Knowing Hutch didn't want a big, wild party he took Huggy's suggestion and the party was about the friendships Hutch has made over the years and the changes that had taken place. The decorations included a big congratulations banner, congratulations balloons, ball and chain table toppers. There was plenty of food on a couple of tables. Huggy had made hot wings, set out chips and dips, and Kiko had brought over a lot Mexican foods.

When Hutch walked in with Starsky, all his friends stood up and clapped, Davey and Kenny were there too. There were about fifty guys that had come to the bachelor party, including what looked like half the department. Joe Mays was there too.

Starsky escorted Hutch to a seat at the bar. Huggy handed him a beer. Starsky took a big gulp of it and sat it back down on the counter. Davey picked it up to take a sip but Hutch took it out of his hands and said, "I don't think so."

Davey laughed and said, "I was just kidding, Dad. I don't drink." Hutch just looked at him and smiled.

Starsky walked to a stool that had a guitar lying on top of it. As Starsky picked up the guitar and put the strap around his neck he said, "Hutch, this is for you and it comes from my heart. I mean every word of it. This song is called Buddies." He sat on the stool and sang,

"Well you and I  
We're buddies  
And we've been since we first met  
Me and you  
Well we've sure been through  
Our share of laughter and regret

Lord knows we've had our bad days  
And more than once we've disagreed  
But you've always been a friend to me

You can be so stubborn  
There's times I think you just like to fight  
And I hope and pray  
I live to see a day  
When you say I might be right

And there's times I'd rather kill you  
Than listen to your honesty  
But you've always been a friend to me

You've always been  
Time and again  
The one to take my hand  
And show to me it's okay to be  
Just the way I am  
With no apology

Oh you've always been  
And you will 'til God knows when  
Yes you've always been a friend to me

After Starsky sang, he put the guitar down walked over to Hutch and gave him a hug. He said, "I'm happy for you, Hutch." He then whispered in Hutch's ear so no one else could hear, "I love you, buddy. It's 'Me and Thee' always."

Hutch hugged Starsky back and said, "That's us alright. Thanks, Starsk," The he whispered, "Thanks, buddy. I love you too. 'Me and Thee' to the end." Starsky and Hutch were never embarrassed about their relationship and everyone knew about what was referred to as their 'special bond.'

There was a screen that had a slide show of several pictures taken over the years of Hutch and his life as a cop. The words to those pictures were "Bad boys, bad boys whatcha gonna do, bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you." Everyone laughed at the words.

Then there were several pictures of Davey and Kenny taken from the time they were babies to current pictures. The song playing during the showing of these pictures was the Best Years Of Our Lives.

Other pictures included pictures Hutch didn't know Starsky had of Debbie and Hutch together and how happy they were. Davey had taken a lot of these pictures at Starsky's request. The song From This Moment played during this part of the slide show.

Everyone was sitting having a good time. Hutch saw all the friends that were there and felt really happy and lucky that he had so many friends in his life. He was especially thankful for Starsky and Huggy.

Sandy and Jeanne made arrangements for Debbie's bachelorette party. Debbie didn't want a big production of it either. She had no desire to see any man stripping down to his Speedos. Sandy knew Debbie just wanted to have a nice night out with the girls. There were about twenty women, mostly friends she worked with at the hospital. They went out to Debbie's favorite restaurant, which was The Cheesecake Factory. After that they went to a bar for some drinks. It was just what Debbie had wanted, a nice quiet night out with friends. All's she could think about was how much she wanted to be with Hutch and how happy she was to be marrying him.

Chapter 13

Hutch woke up early the day of the wedding, he was excited and nervous. He fixed breakfast for himself and Davey. Davey woke up when he smelled the bacon and eggs and said, "Good morning, Dad."

"Morning, Son." Hutch said with a smile. He was feeling so happy. He handed Davey his breakfast, Davey thanked him as he sat down. Hutch plated his food then sat at the table next to Davey.

Davey said, "Well, Dad, this is probably the last breakfast you and I will have alone." He was smiling as he said it.

"It might be, Son." He was smiling too.

Starsky and Kenny came in just as Hutch and Davey were putting their plates in the dishwasher. Hutch said, "Sorry, Starsk, ole buddy, you just missed breakfast, but I'd be more than happy to whip you up a protein shake."

"Hey, I thought you were my friend." He laughed, opened the refrigerator and found a piece of cold pizza and took it out. "This will be just fine. Kenny, you want a slice?"

"Sure, Dad. Thanks Uncle Ken." Hutch just shook his head.

Davey asked, "How much do we have to do today?"

Hutch said, "Well, for us men, there's not a lot to do until we get dressed before we go to the church at 1600 hours. For the ladies, there's a lot they do."

Kenny said, "Being a woman must be complicated." He laughed.

Davey said, "I think they just make it complicated."

Starsky and Hutch said at the same time, "Don't ever let them hear you say that."

Hutch asked Davey, "Are you all packed?"

"Yeah, I'm packed, but I'd like to stay a night or two here while you're gone."

Hutch smiled, "Got some big party planned, huh?"

"Yeah, I invited the 11th and 12th grades over. I told them we'd have a lot of beer and wild women."

Kenny said, "I told them we'd take Dad's old tomato for a spin too."

Starsky and Hutch laughed. Hutch said, "You're old enough now, I don't think I'd mind you staying a night by yourself or with Kenny here. I know you're not dumb enough and I trust you enough not to throw any wild parties. The only condition is that you check in with Starsky at night before bed and in the morning when you wake up."

" 'Cause you're a cop and have a lot of people after you?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I can live with that."

Debbie woke up early too. Sandy and Jeanne came over and took her out to breakfast. Then they spent a good part of the day at the beauty parlor getting their hair just right. Hutch had always loved Debbie's hair long. She had not cut it since they started dating. Sandy had double checked with everyone that had anything to do with the wedding during the last couple of days and it seemed like everything was on track. They had checked on the flowers yesterday they were all beautiful. The wedding cake was complete and would be delivered at the reception later in the afternoon. Jeanne made sure all the dresses were being delivered to the church and she checked with the caterers.

Sandy had just finished putting Debbie's makeup on, when Jeanne said, "Something borrowed." She showed Debbie a beautiful heart shaped diamond. "Dave gave me this for our anniversary last year. It would look beautiful on you today."

"Oh, Jeanne, thank you. It's gorgeous. Thank you. You may not get this back." She laughed as she hugged Jeanne who put the necklace on her.

Sandy said, "Something new." She showed Debbie a pair of earrings that were a tear shaped, teal blue that matched the bridesmaid's dresses.

"They're absolutely breathtaking. Thank you."

Tracy said, "Something blue." She handed Debbie a blue garter. Debbie put the garter on. Sandy reached over and pushed it up a little higher up on her thigh. All of them laughed.

Jeanne said, "Something old." She handed Debbie a silver bracelet.

Debbie had tears in her eyes as she said, "You are all such wonderful friends. I don't know what I would do without you."

Sandy said, "You can't cry. You'll ruin your makeup."

Debbie said, "Okay" but still continued to cry. Jeanne hugged her until she stopped. Sandy fixed her makeup.

Starsky had finished tying Hutch's tie. Hutch can usually tie his own tie but he was so nervous he couldn't do it. Kenny and Davey tied each other's ties. Davey looked out of the door and said, "Dad, there must be a hundred people out there."

Kenny laughed and said, "Yeah, no pressure, Uncle Ken."

Starsky said, "Will you two be quiet. Hutch knows how many people were invited." Hutch just sighed and smiled.

Once all the groomsmen were ready, Hutch and the groomsmen took their place at the front of the church. They were wearing navy blue pants and coat with a teal blue shirt and a white tie. Hutch had a white boutonniere. Starsky gave Hutch a look of reassurance and patted his shoulder. He tapped his coat pocket, letting Hutch know that he had the ring. Hutch gave him a smile. He knew everything was just right and he was marrying the right woman, he was so happy he couldn't help but smile.

At exactly 1900 hours the bridesmaids were lined up and ready to go. They were wearing teal blue, elbow length, v-necked, floor length dresses, with matching teal blue earrings and heart shaped necklaces. Each of them was carrying a single pale pink rose.

Sandy was the first to walk down the aisle as soon as the instrumental music to 'You'll Never Walk Alone' started. Sandy was followed by Jeanne and Tracy. As few seconds after Tracy took her place, 'Here Comes The Bride' music started. Huggy took Debbie's arm and nodded in approval. Everyone stood up and turned to see Debbie walk down the aisle escorted by Huggy.

Hutch turned and saw his bride wearing a floor length white dress, with lace around the bottom, the sleeves were elbow length and the dress had teal blue flowers outlined in a very pale pink. She was carrying a bouquet of white roses with a very pale pink ribbon around it. Hutch thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He just smiled from ear to ear when he saw her. Starsky was smiling for him too.

Hutch and Debbie had written their own vows and had them memorized.

Hutch remembered hearing the minister talking, but he was concentrating on Debbie and their new life that they were about to share that he didn't know what he was saying. Finally it was announced that the couple-to-be had written their vows. He looked at Hutch and nodded.

Hutch spoke loud and proud, and from his heart as he said, "To you my wife, I promise to be faithful to you always. You will be a part of my mind, body and soul from this moment on. Through the good times and the bad times, I will be by your side. I will love you and cherish every minute of every day we spend together. I am very proud to have you in my life and family. As you take my name, I want you to know that you will also be taking my heart. I love you Debbie." Starsky handed him her ring and he put in on her finger. He had a very sweet, happy smile as he did so.

Debbie turned to Hutch and said, "To you my husband, I vow to be not only be faithful to you, but I will be here for you always. I will be by your side through the good times and the bad. I will embrace all the good times and cherish each one and endure the bad times with dignity and grace. You are very much a part of my heart and will be from this moment on. I feel very honored to be a part of your life, a part of your family, and most of all, a part of your heart. As I take your name, I give you my love, my life and my happiness." Sandy handed her his ring and as she put it on his finger a single tear rolled down her face. He gently caressed her face as he wiped it away.

The minister announced, "You may now kiss the bride." Hutch kissed Debbie gently on the lips. The minister said, "I would like to present Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hutchinson."

Everyone stood up. Hutch took Debbie's arm as they walked up the aisle. Everyone was smiling at the newlyweds. The Starskys walked up the aisle with Sandy, Kenny escorted his mother, and Davey escorted Tracy.

The happy couple met everyone outside as they said their congratulations. Most of them would be attending the reception, but a couple of officers and nurses had to report for work.

Hutch, Debbie and the wedding party went back inside the church to have a few pictures taken. Huggy had arranged for a limousine to take the newlyweds from the church to the reception.

Once they arrived at the reception, which was at the ballroom of the Holiday Inn, everyone cheered and clapped. Hutch and Debbie saw the tables all were covered in white linens and each table had alternating white and pale pink rose as the center piece. The cake had three-tiers, was white with pale pink and teal flowers on it. It was a vanilla cake with butternut frosting. It was gorgeous.

After everyone had taken their seats, Starsky stood up held his glass of champagne and said, "I'd like to make a toast." Everyone stopped talking and looked at Starsky. "Hutch, you've been my best friend and partner for over forty years. If I took the time now to say how much that has meant to me and still means to me, we'd be here all week. There's nothing more I can really say to you, except thank you for bringing this wonderful woman into our family." He smiled at his partner. Hutch smiled back and nodded, letting Starsky know that his friendship means just as much to him. Then he looked at Debbie. "Debbie, what can I say? You stole Hutch's heart. I thank you for that. I know the two of you will take care of each other. I'd like to say welcome to the family." He raised his glass and said, "Here's to Mr. and Mrs. Ken Hutchinson. I love you both." Everyone took a sip of their champagne.

Hutch and Debbie danced the first dance to the song 'Always and Forever.'

After they sat down, Davey picked up a guitar that had been sitting on a stool in the corner. He moved the stool to a close by microphone. He said, "Dad, Debbie this song is for both of you from all of us." As he said that Hutch leaned over to Starsky and said, "He sure feels more comfortable singing in front of a crowd than I ever have."

Starsky chuckled and said, "He is a bit of a ham, isn't he."

He cleared his throat, sat down and started to sing,

"And I  
Never thought I'd feel this way  
And as far as I'm concerned I'm glad I got the chance to say  
That I do believe I love you

And if I should ever go away  
Well then close your eyes and try to feel the way we do today  
And than if you can't remember...

Kenny stood beside Davey and started singing with him.

Keep smilin'  
Keep shinin'

Knowin' you can always count on me  
for sure  
that's what friends are for

Everyone stood up joined in for the rest of the song

In good times  
And bad times  
I'll be on your side forever more  
That's what friends are for

Well you came and open me  
And now there's so much more I see  
And so by the way I thank you...

Ohhh and then  
For the times when we're apart  
Well just close your eyes and know  
These words are comming from my heart  
And then if you can't remember...Ohhhhh.

Everyone had a great time at the reception. Huggy played DJ and had a variety of songs. He played everything from some of the old songs from the 70s to popular songs of today. Hutch talked to Davey about 0100 hours and told him that he was taking Debbie to the hotel for the night and they would be leaving about 1400 to catch the cruise ship to Alaska.

Davey hugged his dad and said, "Dad, I love her and I'm so happy you're happy. I really mean that."

Hutch hugged his son and said, "I'm glad you like her, Son. And thank you for the song. It was perfect. You and Kenny can stay a couple of nights at the house if you'd like. You know you can call me if you need too. I will always be there for you. I hope you know that."

"I do know that, Dad. You always have been there for me."

Starsky walked up to them and said, "You sneaking out now, partner?"

"Yeah, we're really tired and have a long day tomorrow." He hugged Starsky and said, "I can't begin to thank…"

"Really, Hutch, you're not going there. No need to thank me for anything. You're my best friend…"

Davey said, "If you two are going to get mushy I'm leaving." He walked away.

Starsky and Hutch laughed. Starsky said, "I didn't think we were mushy."

"Well, maybe a little, but who cares. Thanks for everything, Starsk. It was great."

"Have a great time on the cruise. Don't worry about things here. I'll keep an eye on the house and Davey."

"I know you will, pal. See ya when I we get back." They gave each other a friendly little hug.

Hutch and Debbie left the reception. It was another hour before everyone else left. Starsky, Jeanne, Kenny and Davey helped Huggy put all his equipment away.

It was late by the time Hutch and Debbie got to sleep, they slept in. They didn't have to leave for the dock until 1400 hours. When he woke up, he kissed Debbie and said, "Good morning, Mrs. Hutchinson."

She smiled back and said, "Good morning, husband."

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Hutch said, "I guess we'd better get ready. We don't want to be late for the cruise.

"I can't believe the Starskys did that for us."

"He said Huggy got him a good deal. They wanted to do something special for us.

"Are they going to meet us on the ship?"

"No. They want us to have this time alone. The hotel shuttle will take us to the docks."

Chapter 14

Hutch and Debbie boarded the cruise ship. Hutch had been on a cruise before, once when he was working undercover, but never as a passenger. He was looking forward to it. They found their room and were unpacking their things. Debbie saw Hutch's gun and looked at him. He said, "I'm supposed to have it…"

She didn't let him finish his sentence, "It's okay. I was just a little surprised. I know you have to keep it with you at all times. I also know that has saved your life more than once. Do you have to wear it the whole cruise?"

"No, I don't. I'll keep it here in case I need it." He put in a drawer. He pulled Debbie close to him and held her tightly as he kissed her.

They stepped onto the balcony as the ship was departing. They enjoyed having their own private balcony and were looking forward to seeing Alaska from it. They stayed on the balcony until it was time for a mandatory Emergency and Lifeboat Drill that was at 1700 hours. During the drill they were to put on their life jackets to a predetermined destination.

After the drill they went back to their room to change. For their first dinner on the cruise they wanted to experience the formal dining room. The formal dining room was just that; formal. Hutch wore the suit he wore to the wedding, and Debbie had borrowed Jeanne's bridesmaid dress. It matched Hutch's suit and was perfect. They had a wonderful first dinner as husband and wife. After dinner they went back to their room and changed into more comfortable clothes. They decided they would like to go for a walk on the deck instead of taking in a show. They walked on in the moonlight. They may have seen others out for a walk too, but they didn't notice anyone except each other. They leaned against the railing and looked out at the ocean. Debbie was a little cold so Hutch took off his jacket and put it around her. Hutch looked at his bride and said, "Would you like to go back to the room now?"

She smiled at him and said, "Yeah, I would. I'm getting tired."

On the third day of their cruise, they woke up and looked outside the porthole and saw a beautiful site. They saw a mountain, beautiful and beyond belief. It was totally capped with deep snow and Debbie said, "It is one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen."

Hutch hugged her and said, "Let's get dressed and go on deck to see it then."

Once they were on deck, they saw the full view of the mountain. It was stunning. They looked around and saw the purest blue water they had ever seen. The words beautiful, awesome, breathtaking and majestic just didn't give the sights they saw justice. They stood there at the railing for a long time just taking in all the sights they were seeing. They even saw a group of whales swimming by. Debbie leaned towards him so he hugged her and she said, "This all so wonderful. I've never seen anything like it before."

He kissed her and held her tight and said, "It sure is, honey."

They learned the snow-capped mountain they saw was called Edgecumb and is an inactive volcano.

During their 2-week honeymoon they had a wonderful time. They went to Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan Alaska. They got off at some of the ports and saw many wonderful things. They took a lot of pictures; Debbie wanted to make a scrapbook of their cruise when they got back home. They even took a helicopter ride and flew to Mendenhall Glacier. Once the helicopter landed, they walked on the glacier.

They were never bored on the cruise; there was always something to do all day and all night. Each meal was an experience in itself. The tables were set up with fantastic ice sculptures. One day it was a swan, the next it would a beautiful eagle, it was always something new and different.

They both had a wonderful time and it was great to get away from the big city and the stress and dangers of their jobs. They both knew their life would change forever when they returned, and they were looking forward to it. The love and closeness they felt before their honeymoon only intensified during it. They had a lot of time to be alone and they grew closer as a couple.

When they returned Starsky and Davey picked them up at the docks. Hutch and Debbie showed them their room and a few other things on the ship. They were impressed. Davey said he'd like to take a cruise one day. Debbie said, "I hope you get the chance to someday. You'd love it."

Debbie hugged Starsky and said, "We had the best time. It was wonderful."

Starsky looked at the luggage and said, "You didn't have this much when you left."

Hutch smiled and said, "She found shops."

"That's just like a woman." They all loaded the luggage into the van.

By the time they got home it was about 1900 hours, and they were tired. They had a great trip but being home was nice too. They arrived home to find that Jeanne and Kenny had fixed a nice dinner. Jeanne said, "We knew you'd be too tired to cook."

Kenny said, "I figured you'd be hungry too. I know you like Mom's baked chicken."

Debbie said, "This is wonderful guys. I don't know how to thank you for all this."

Jeanne said, "That's what being a family is all about."

Debbie said, "I've never been part of a family like this before. I was an only child and my parents were too. It was just us three and I never had children. So this is very nice and I love you all so much."

Kenny said, "Now you're part of our family, Aunt Debbie."

Hutch looked at Kenny and smiled. He liked the sound of him calling Debbie Aunt.

Starsky held up his glass to make a toast and said, "Welcome to the family." They all held up their glasses and touched them together and said, "To family."


End file.
